City of Elusion
by avorialair
Summary: Ignorance. Fear. Mistrust. Destiny. The tale of what happens when two worlds collide. TenRose. [WIP]
1. Prologue

**Title**: The City of Elusion  
**Characters/Pairings**: Rose/Ten  
**Rating**: Oh, erm around a T. It deals with some fairly nasty themes, I think.  
**Spoilers**: None, really, though you may get a few mild references to episodes from both s1 and s2. Takes place before TIP.  
**Genre(s)**: Horror, mystery, sci-fi, action, adventure, romance, suspense, thriller, supernatural.  
**Disclaimer**: So not mine. I don't think I can wave anything near a claim at it. All characters, names, titles belong to the BBC. Even the story I hand over to the Beeb, just because :P  
**Summary**: The psychic paper is acting oddly and the Doctor needs to find out why. Returning to its place of origin, he warns Rose of the upcoming dangers. But neither of them could possibly foresee the danger that's lurking around the corner... TenRose. WIP.  
**Author's Note**: Written when ill and had an idea on my mind. Well, actually, lots of ideas that joined together to make this little thing.

**Dedication**: I dedicate this to you, the reader, for finding this story in amongst the rest. Thank you so much; without you, there would be less need to write.

-I-

**The City of Elusion**

Prologue

"Okay – what about this one?"

The Doctor tapped a different piece of paper, then looked up at Rose over the rim of his spectacles. She took a few thoughtful moments to respond before a wide grin spread across her face.

"I know," she said gleefully, clapping her hands together like an excited child. "'Excuse me; I've lost my time machine.'"

"That's right!" he affirmed with an equal smile. He sat up in the chair and considered her with pride. "That's enough for today, I should think, but bravo. You aren't half getting the hang of this."

"Well." Rose shrugged with modesty and averted his eye slightly. "Got a good teacher, haven't I?"

"Oh, I agree. The best. In fact." He smiled and stood up. "Tea?"

"Please."

Rose had been learning Gallifreyan for just over a month now. It had started with a simple questioning of the various post-it notes stuck around the console room, more noticeably on the monitors above the controls. At first she had just been interested in what they meant. Reminders, he'd told her. Shopping lists, notes, complicated maths equations he was trying to remember. And apparently, the pink post-its were the ones that detailed in highly intelligent breakdowns of the universe, about the outcome of alpha squared matched with theta over two when one tended towards infinity... At which point Rose had stopped listening.

However, picking up on her interest like a bee to pollen, the Doctor had soon started lessons in his language for 'emergency's sake'. Rose had no idea what type of emergency situation would require her understanding of his first language, but the lessons were fun enough. There were even gold stars.

The teachings had led to yet more post-its stuck around the TARDIS (for which she was not amused), saying things like 'door' and 'kettle' and 'Doctor's bedroom' in Gallifreyan symbols. It was quite an amusing way to pass the time, if nothing else.

The Doctor was currently stirring his tea in the kitchen, having already handed Rose a sugared mug. In his hand was the psychic paper, its battered leather pouch beginning to crack with age.

"Not real leather, this," he'd told her once. "Well, not _your_ leather. Comes from the great Jeffile District in the North. Amazing place, good for a date. Came across the wallet in a little antique shop, just sitting there. Impossible to harm. Doesn't rip, cut, burn, peel – only age can destroy it, really. Fairly useful stuff to have around when you consider the life I lead."

He was now staring at it with seemingly worried interest, a frown set into his forehead and his thoughts far away.

Rose sipped her tea quietly, watching him.

He took in a loud breath, as though preparing to speak, but simply let it out again and continued his ponderings. His glasses were settled adorably on his nose, unmoved since the lesson, and through them Rose could see the Doctor's eyes move back and forth across the slip of paper in his hands.

She took another swig of her tea before climbing down from her seat in search of something more interesting to do.

"Rose?" the Doctor inquired suddenly, his eyes still on the leather sleeve. "What do you make of this?"

He flipped it over, showing her the blank page.

Rose shrugged. "It's the psychic paper," she responded a bit flatly; after all the time he had spent silent, she had been expecting something more intriguing than that.

"Well yes, I know it's the psychic paper," he continued, reaching up and pocketing his glasses. "But look."

He took a few paces towards her, holding the paper out directly in front of him.

After giving it a cursory glance for a couple of seconds, Rose met the Doctor's eye. "Is this like... when you do something with your hair and I don't notice? Have you done something to the paper?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes. No. Sort of." He replaced it in his jacket pocket then collapsed onto the seat Rose had just vacated. Leaning on the speckled counter with his elbows, he ran his fingers across his eyes so that they met at the bridge of his nose. Rose perched on the seat beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worry in her voice.

His fingers slid to his mouth as he bit his nails thoughtfully.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "But when I showed you the paper just now, it was supposed to say that I wasn't really a time-travelling alien from Gallifrey but that actually this was all just some sort of exotic dream and it was time for you to wake up."

Rose frowned, confused. "Why would you do that?"

"To see if the psychic paper worked. I would have thought that was obvious."

"But, hang on." She plucked the paper from his pocket and waved it in front of his face. "I know this is psychic, so it wouldn't work on me anyway."

"Not strictly true," the Doctor countered, taking it from her hands and holding it up to her instead. "When you see an optical illusion, you know it's an illusion, but that doesn't stop your brain from being fooled by it, does it? You still see two faces and a candlestick just the same."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means..." The Doctor sighed. "It means we're going to have to go somewhere I never wanted to visit again."

Rose shifted in her seat. "Why's that, Doctor?"

He didn't answer. Instead he jumped down from the seat and chewed his tongue thoughtfully. He then glanced up at Rose with a pleading expression.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you fancy staying behind on this one, is there? I'll only be a couple of hours – "

Rose put a hand up and stopped him mid sentence. "Oh no you don't. If you think you're bounding off into another adventure alone, you've got another thing coming. I'm coming with."

"Oh, but Rose," he complained imploringly. "You... can't. Not this time. You're the greatest asset I have, but... It's dangerous." He stepped forward and took her hands, looking her right in the eye. She gulped a little, his intense look suddenly overpowering. "I can quite honestly say," he added, his voice incredibly calm, "that this will be the most dangerous place I've visited. I couldn't let anything happen to you. I made a promise."

A beat of silence passed as she searched his eyes with hers.

"But we jump into danger every day," Rose argued at last when the Doctor dropped her hands. "Feet first. That's what we do. And if it's so dangerous, what if something happened to _you_? What if I'm left waiting here and you don't come back? We once said we'd go down fighting together and I still stand by that, Doctor. You're not locking me up in here like some child. If you really wanted me safe, you'd never have taken me with you in the first place."

A guilty expression flickered in the Doctor's eyes and he felt something sinister twist in his gut.

"Rose. Please."

"I'm coming with you, Doctor. And that's that." She gave a resolute nod to affirm the conclusion. The Doctor let out a beleaguered sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at her with fond impatience, as though he wasn't if he was angry or proud at her persistence.

"Right, fine," he relented at last, dropping his hand. He then brought it up again to point severely in her direction. "But if anything happens to you, I am going to kick some serious arse."

Rose's eyebrows raised inquiringly towards his curse, but she let it go when he pressed on.

"Right then," the Doctor said, heading towards the kitchen door. "Get your coat and meet me in the console room. We've got a bit of stuff to go over if you're coming with me, and God help you if you don't listen. It could very well save your life."

With that he was gone and, with a final swig of tea, Rose darted to her room to find some suitable clothing and a good, sturdy pair of shoes: she had a feeling that this was going to be one of those oh-so-common occasions where she'd end up running for her life.

* * *

Preview... 

_**Chapter I – Misheard Warnings**_

"_Looks complicated."_

"_Oh, it is," the Doctor agreed. "Fortunately I'm a genius. But I still have to make sure I get exact precision in my coordinates, otherwise I could very well end up driving us into a black hole."_

_Rose wrinkled her nose. "Don't like the sound of that."_


	2. Misheard Warnings

**Author's Note:** Dedicated to AbbieNormal182, for getting the thing with the hair... it always amused me, heh. But really, thank you to everyone who reviewed. It does so brighten up my day. Ho hum.

-I-

**The City of Elusion**

Chapter I – Misheard Warnings

Half an hour or so later, the Doctor was concentratedly tinkering with controls and Rose was standing there watching him.

"Tell me the name of this place again?" she requested, leaning against the railing.

"Elusion," the Doctor replied, looking from the scrambled map in his hands to the dials he had just set. He frowned, then moved the one on the right a few degrees upwards. "It's where I got the psychic paper in the first place. Nowhere else like it in the universe – nowhere else to replace or mend my very unique bit of... er, well, psychic. I picked it up from there about a century ago, after I accidentally crashed and made a hole in their atmosphere. Well, I call it their atmosphere, it's more like strange invisible smoggy stuff that interferes with receptors in the brain and – "

"Doctor?"

"Mm?" He looked up.

Rose smiled tightly. "Rambling again."

He raised an eyebrow. "Rude again. Anyway. My point is – oh, blast."

The raised eyebrow turned to a frown as he looked from the controls to the map then back again. He then sighed irritably, turned the map around by one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and started reprogramming the coordinates from the beginning.

Rose chuckled and sidled around the console to him. She looked over his shoulder at the complex lines and drawings, then shook her head and gave up.

"Looks complicated."

"Oh, it is," the Doctor agreed. "Fortunately I'm a genius. But I still have to make sure I get exact precision in my coordinates, otherwise I could very well end up driving us into a black hole."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Don't like the sound of that."

"No. Me, neither. Here, read this out to me."

He turned the map over and handed it to Rose, where a seemingly endless string of numbers was found. She stared at the digits and blinked, before reeling them off slowly in order. The Doctor punched in the numbers on a keypad, then took the map back once Rose had finished.

"Never seen you use instructions before," she commented idly as he started to turn dials again.

"Never had to. Most places are easy enough to memorise, and even if I'm a bit out, the TARDIS usually makes up for it. But this place is impossible. It only actually exists in random intervals of the exponential function two to the power of x minus three point one, where x is the increasing time in years since your last visit. A lot of the time, it only exists negatively, and even when it doesn't, you have to make sure your arrival coincides with an alternate power of two years, otherwise you just end up trying to stabilise nothing. And, as well as being impossible, it results in the acceleration of all the molecules attempting said stabilisation, which causes the hyper inflation on time and space itself." He made the mistake of looking up and seeing a very confused and very scared Rose. "It makes a very big bang," he simplified.

She just nodded. He continued with trying to programme in the coordinates.

"So... how long will this take?" Rose asked eventually.

"Depends." The Doctor shrugged. "If I hadn't spent the first half an hour putting in the wrong values, we'd have probably been just about done by now. But I have to make sure that everything is as accurate as it can be. I can only get a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of our safety anyway, and that's if I subtract the two when I multiply by – "

"You know what?" Rose interrupted, turning away. "Forget I asked."

It was about ten minutes later when the Doctor straightened up with an enterprising smile on his face.

"Aha!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Rose, who was sat in the driver's chair a few paces away, bolted up. "You've got it?"

"No! But I have just remembered the whereabouts of the sock I thought I'd lost."

Rose groaned and slumped back into the chair. "Great."

The Doctor turned around and faced her. "Oh, come on. How annoying is it when just one of your socks goes missing? It begs the question of where the other went, especially if you put them in the wash at the same time but only one comes out."

Rose gave him a perplexed look, then laughed and shook her head. "You're mad."

"As a March hare. Hair. Hare. Odd, that. Two words in the English language that sound the same but are spelled completely differently. All the places I've travelled and English, as well as being one of the most complex, is still the most commonly spoken across the galaxy. Incredible."

"What's incredible is how fast that mouth of yours runs," Rose countered, sliding to the floor and stretching.

The Doctor pouted. "And actually, if you must know, I was lying. I've got the coordinates just perfect now."

Rose raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I have!" he insisted. "And to be perfectly honest, I should be offended you're even doubting me."

"And if _I'm _perfectly honest," Rose returned, walking up to him with a playful smile, "I should be offended that you didn't want me to come with you."

He stared at her, then shook his head. "Humans," he muttered.

"Heard that."

"Good – now then, are you ready? All I have to do is pull this lever and we should arrive."

Rose patted the pockets on her coat theatrically. "Clothes, body, mind. Yup, I'm all here, Doctor."

He grimaced at her, then became serious. "Right, now listen to me Rose, this is very important." She met his eye and nodded. He paused, on the edge of words. "...Where we're going... you'll remember what I've told you. Stay with me at all times. Hear me? _All times_. I should be able to protect you. But for God's sake don't touch me while you're down there, or I'll be carrying you back to the TARDIS with your brain as scrambled as an egg. If you ever find yourself in doubt, just remind yourself who I am.

"I've had to set up a teleportation device so we can exit the TARDIS safely – her direct presence on the planet interferes with the smoggy harmony of everything, as I said. It's a nasty planet to go, but we're there on business. Nothing more. Perception filters will be in place as soon as we land, so everyone will look human to you. In fact they'll probably all look like people you know, so watch out." He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It'll be all right," he promised with a smile. "Just be careful. Any questions?"

Rose swallowed. "Oh... loads. But they can wait 'til after we get back."

"Right then. Nothing left to do now except leave."

He dropped her hand, indicated where she should stand, then placed his hand on the lever. He looked up to the ceiling with an openly worried expression on his face.

"See you in a couple of hours, old girl."

Then he pulled the lever down and he and Rose faded from sight like the end of a hologram.

* * *

Preview... 

_**Chapter II – Eye of the Beholder**_

_The Doctor shrugged non-committally. "Just that. It's not real. Like I said, it's a sport. The prisoner is made to think they're being hung, or burned alive, or drowned or what have you, and if they figure out that it's all just a complex illusion to do with their worst fear of dying, then they'll be set free."_

"_And... if they don't?" Rose asked hesitantly. "I mean... isn't it just an illusion?"_

_The Doctor looked at her seriously. "You can die in your dreams," he said quietly._


	3. Eye of the Beholder

**Chapter II – Eye of the Beholder**

Rose couldn't tell if she felt dizzy from the transport or the place. Either way, when she opened her eyes, she immediately had to close them again to stop herself from falling to the floor.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked softly from beside her.

"Yeah?" she asked, opening her eyes to squint around her.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Just feeling a bit... upside down."

"That'll happen. You'll get used to it. Come on."

He began to walk slowly along the cobbled path they had appeared on. Rose, adjusting to the strange pulsing feeling that was encircling her body, began to follow him. He had told her, amongst other things, that this place was beautiful, and he was right. They were walking down a path that was sided by shimmering grass, which waved in the wind despite the fact that Rose couldn't feel a breeze. It was almost silvery, sort of like how she'd always imagined a mermaid's hair to look.

Up ahead of them was the city, a collection of tall, rustic stony buildings and busy streets.

Rose trotted up next to the Doctor and took in the incredible sights. Not only were the buildings made of stone, but the stones were actually moving, as though tremors and vibrations were passing right through them. Even the cobbled road itself seemed to be shimmering, like everything else. It was an incredible sensation she was feeling, too: like walking on water.

The sky was a dark grey, but rippled like a giant puddle. Rose tried not to stare at it too long for fear it might do something weird, like hypnotise her.

"It's beautiful," she couldn't help but utter as they entered the outer parts of the city.

"What did I tell you?" the Doctor responded, and there was a hint of smugness in his voice. "Incredible planet, this. Not too keen on visitors, though – unless you plan to stay for the duration of your life. Then they're all too happy to accommodate you. That is, before you start to forget about your previous life and end up unquestioning of all the rules imposed on you. I'd say about seventy percent of the visitors who stay end up as slaves for the officials who are in charge. It's all politics, really."

Rose bit her lip as they walked, suddenly feeling a quiver in her stomach. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to come here.

"We'll be all right," the Doctor added quickly, as though sensing her unease. He looked across to her and smiled. "I'm pretty good at this sort of thing. Besides, I've been here before."

"How come you got away?" Rose asked as they turned down a street that was thick with buildings. She had the feeling that if she didn't keep the Doctor talking, something bad would happen.

He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck and made a thoughtful noise. "Well, they didn't have much choice but to let me go, really."

Rose's eyes widened slightly. "Let you go?" she echoed.

"I crashed, didn't I? Caused their perception filters to go squiffy. Almost put the entire planet in jeopardy. Course, once they realised I was actually tracking a deadly alien virus that was sure to wipe out their entire race, they let me go get on with it and rewarded me with the psychic paper. It was the fastest thinking on my feet I think I've ever done, and that's saying something. I'm pretty sure they were just about ready to hang me."

"They_hang_ people?" Rose asked loudly in horrified shock, then averted the eye of somebody to her right who had looked around sharply at her outburst.

"Easy," the Doctor said calmly to her, his gaze stern on the man who was looking their way. "We don't want to cause a fuss. We're here for one reason – to get the psychic paper looked at. The sooner we're out of here, the better. And yes, to answer your question, they hang people. They do worse than that. It's something of a sport, actually."

Rose shivered with growing fear. "That's nice."

"They take bets on how long the victim will stay alive; if the prisoner manages to figure out that it's an illusion in time, they'll be set free."

"What d'you mean by an illusion?" Rose asked in a hushed voice, checking over her shoulder.

The Doctor shrugged non-committally. "Just that. It's not real. Like I said, it's a sport. The prisoner is made to think they're being hung, or burned alive, or drowned or what have you, and if they figure out that it's all just a complex illusion to do with their worst fear of dying, then they'll be set free."

"And... if they don't?" Rose asked hesitantly. "I mean... isn't it just an illusion?"

The Doctor looked at her seriously. "You can die in your dreams," he said quietly. "If the mind thinks the physical body isn't alive any more, then the physical body will cease to be alive."

"Oh." Rose wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the shimmering floor. "I thought that was just a myth."

"So, unfortunately, do most people. This way."

They had come to a square with a statue in the centre. It looked like a human man with a drawn sword, ready to fight an oncoming enemy. As the Doctor and Rose got closer, she could see the intricate detail that had gone into the carving; even the eyes seemed to portray an endless terror, and she felt scared just looking at it. Her eyes drifted down to the plaque near the base.

'Here stands Tobias Huxley, whose worst fear of death was to face the Medusa. Long may his soul rest.'

Rose, feeling sick, tore her eyes away from it and let out a shaky breath. The Doctor glanced to what had caught her eye, then just simply looked away and continued across the square.

"They're very respectful of death, here," he informed. "Everyone gets a ceremony, even the criminals. Especially so, in fact."

"Doctor," Rose said quietly as they continued to walk. "You're not exactly helping."

She had become increasingly aware of how still this place was. There were a lot of people on the streets and in the square (humans, all of them, and all faces that she didn't recognise), but they were either moving slowly or not moving at all. All conversations were done in quiet tones, and there were no sudden movements or actions. It all had a sense of eerie foreboding about it, and Rose didn't like it one bit.

"Where did you say this place was where we had to go?"

"Not far now," the Doctor answered reassuringly. "Should be just around that corner. I'll have to speak to the owner of the shop and see what he can do. It might come to me leaving it with him for an hour or so and we can get to know the city a bit better."

"Oh, goody," Rose retorted sarcastically.

"Now then, now then," the Doctor admonished with a gentle smile. "It won't be as bad as all that. This is one of the most beautiful places in the universe... If you get past the strange melancholy to everything, that is, and even that isn't so bad. Besides, you've got me!" He gave her a broad smile. "Best guide you could have. You'll be fine, I promise."

Rose was able to manage a smile, but it didn't calm her nerves much. Yes, she had the Doctor – but hadn't he said this was the most dangerous place he'd ever gone? She felt uncomfortable being here, as though she were walking across the graves of a thousand soldiers from the second world war. It just felt... _wrong_.

"Having second thoughts?" the Doctor asked casually from her side. She could hear the mocking tone in his voice threatening to break through.

"Not at all," she replied, turning to him and giving him a wide smile. "'S nice here. We should come more often."

"Hmm," was all the Doctor responded, and they kept walking.

Rose kept catching glances of his hand out of the corner of her eye. It was swinging by his side, waiting to be grabbed. She licked her lips, fighting back the awful temptation to just slide her fingers through his. Because the truth was, she _was_ scared. There was absolutely no chance of her swanning off without him in this place. Especially not when his words kept coming back to her like a ghost.

_...And for God's sake don't touch me, or I'll be carrying you back to the TARDIS with your brain as scrambled as an egg..._

She shivered involuntarily and picked up the pace of her walking.

Rose would have been able to tell the correct alley without the Doctor signalling. It lay more in shadow than any of the other places, as though designed to have the least amount of light as possible. So she wasn't entirely surprised when her rather over-enthusiastic tour guide took a sharp left into it. The sound of a bottle smashing up ahead, like someone dropping it in surprise, made Rose jump.

"Doctor, are you sure about this?" she asked nervously, unable to contain her fear any longer.

He slowed to a stop and turned to face her. "I know this place is making you feel uneasy," he said gently, warmth in his eyes. "But I promise, if you can get past that, you'll feel so much better. This place is beautiful. Just appreciate it for that and you'll be fine.

Rose nodded resolutely, although was not all together convinced. "Okay."

He gave her one of the warmest smiles she had ever seen, then continued down the narrow, dark alleyway. About half way down he stopped again, this time staring intently at the wall. With the back of his knuckles he knocked hard; a hollow sound echoed in the silence, very loud in the quietness of everything else. It was impossible to tell until she got closer, but Rose saw it was a door the Doctor had knocked on. It was black, the same shade as the wall, and was so covered in grime that there were knuckle marks where the Doctor's hand had touched. He was now wiping his hand distastefully on hid jacket.

Although Rose heard nothing, there must have been an answer of some kind because the door suddenly started to open. She met eyes with the Doctor, who just shrugged his eyebrows before stepping inside. Rose followed warily, ready to lash out at anything that might jump out at her. She felt like she used to on Hallowe'en back home, when the local kids would terrorise every house they went to. She hated those trick-or-treaters and always found herself terrified to answer the door. She hadn't felt that feeling in a long time and it was unnerving to feel it again.

It was hard to make anything out in here at first, because the only light supplied was so dim (either by age or dirt) that it took a while to get used to. Eventually, Rose's eyes became accustomed to the gloom and she was able to see more than just vague shadows.

There were shelves everywhere, along all the walls, each holding weird shapes and things that Rose could never have described. It was impossible to see anything specific from where she was stood, but she wouldn't have been surprised if a jar of eyes turned up, or even a severed hand – it was definitely that sort of place.

She joined the Doctor at the counter, not wishing to look around too much lest she should find something that would haunt her dreams. He gave a questioning nod, to which she affirmed. Then he smiled and reached out to hit the single, desolate bell on the surface. The sound was so piercing it echoed right through Rose's skull.

Presently there was a scuffle of movement and then a small little man shuffled out of the back room like a beetle. He wasn't much taller than the counter, his long, crooked nose hovering just millimetres above the wood. He had small, beady black eyes that peered out from behind thin-rimmed half-moon spectacles, and he was also owner of a long white beard, matted with age, that spread half way down his torso. He was, if possible, the creepiest man Rose had ever seen, and that included her year eight history teacher who, rumour had it, was a bit of a pervert when it came to young girls.

She tried not to concentrate on the fact that the little man's eyes were boring into her, but it was so difficult to ignore.

Fortunately, the Doctor authoritatively cleared his throat and Rose felt the unnerving gaze shift away from her. She had literally been able to feel his eyes on her, probing and malevolent, as though he could see into her mind. It made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. This was a strange world indeed.

"You've moved," the Doctor said matter-of-factly, sliding his hands into his pockets.

The little man gave a small nod. "It's not safe to stay in one place for any given amount of time. But, I suppose you'd know all about that, wouldn't you Doctor?" His voice was musty and old, as if cobwebs were lining the back of his throat. Rose tried to think about nice things, like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. But it didn't work; it just made her feel worse.

The Doctor inclined his head upwards slightly. "Ah. You know who I am, then."

"Sir, if I didn't know who you were the second you walked into my shop, I would be blind indeed."

"Then I presume you know," the Doctor responded as he reached inside his jacket pocket, "why I'm here."

The old man chuckled. "I could hazard a guess. But come, who is this pretty one? She was certainly not present the last time you were here." He made a gesture towards Rose, but didn't look at her.

The Doctor glanced towards her. "Oh, this is Rose. She's a friend of mine."

The man raised a bushy eyebrow, then sniffed loudly. "Indeed. Well, my dear," he said, addressing her, "the Doctor and I have a few things to discuss. I suggest you take a look around the shop while you wait. You might find something that... interests you."

"We're only here on business," the Doctor said quickly before she could respond. He slid the psychic paper across the surface of the counter. "I mean to take up very little of your time, and – "

"I'm sorry," the man interrupted, "but if the problem lies with this paper, then you and I have a lot to discuss in depth, Doctor. And what I need to say requires only those who are familiar with the secrets we hold present. This ignorant human will be allowed nowhere near the superiority of my race's heritage."

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed before she could stop herself. Both men ignored her.

The Doctor leant forward on the counter, his teeth almost bared. "She stays with me," he said solidly.

"Doctor," wheezed the old man, stepping up on tip-toes and staring into his eyes. "You don't want to make an enemy of me."

"And_you_ don't want to make an enemy of _me_," the Doctor growled in return, leaning further over the counter. They were so close their noses were almost touching.

Carefully Rose edged closer to him and spoke his name quietly.

He relaxed his glare from the man and turned to her.

"You'll only be a couple of minutes," Rose said, feeling a lump in her throat. "I'll be okay if I wait out here."

In the dim light it was impossible to see the sparkle of pride properly in his eyes, but she knew it was there; she could hear it in his voice.

"You don't have to," he reasoned softly. "We can do without the psychic paper. We can just leave."

She gave a sad smile, wanting nothing more than to reach out an touch him. "It's got us out of too much, though, Doctor. We can't risk you not having it. I'll be fine, honestly. What're you worried about?"

He let out a loud breath through his nose, resignation in its best form. "Okay. I trust you. I won't be long." He turned back to the man behind the counter, who had been watching them both with interest. "Lead the way. And this had better not take longer than a couple of minutes."

The little man lifted a small section of counter upwards, allowing the Doctor access behind. He chuckled somewhat as the Time Lord walked past him. "You seem to fear for you friend. I assure you, there's nothing that can harm her in this shop."

"I'll believe that when I come back and find her alive and well."

The man lowered the counter, and held out his arm to signify to the Doctor which way he should walk. Rose couldn't see anything beyond the strange bead curtain that lined the door, and was pretty sure she didn't want to know what was behind there anyway.

The Doctor turned and gave her a little wave, before walking through to the back room accompanied by the shop's proprietor. Rose, feeling a bit colder in the Doctor's absence, wrapped her arms around herself and began to wander over the shelves.

All she had to do now was wait.

* * *

Preview... 

_**Chapter III – An Old Friend**_

_He definitely seemed to have it all thought out. Rose didn't get a chance to respond, as he was already continuing down the alleyway, kicking rubbish out of his way as he went. She had to trot to catch up with him, and she longed to be able to just rush up to him and grab his hand, maybe push into his shoulder with hers..._

_She let out a sigh. This was going to be harder than she thought._


	4. An Old Friend

**Chapter III – An Old Friend**

Ten minutes passed and he hadn't returned. Although, considering his nature for nattering on once he was into something, perhaps that wasn't altogether surprising.

Rose scanned the items on the shelves with a mild distaste. There was a jar of strange-looking liquid, blue and silver, but thick like blood. Next to it a strange orb that hovered a few centimetres above the shelf, a strange glowing red buried at its centre. There was an old pair of gloves, a sparkling broach, some dusty books with faded spines, all piled up on top of each other. And there was, much to her surprise, what looked to be a jar of chocolate spread.

With a bemused expression, she turned away and began to pace to the other side of the shop. She checked her watch with an almost paranoid efficiency and cursed the thing for not moving faster.

This was getting impossible. She stopped walking and strained her ears, trying to hear into the next room. If she held her breath she could hear a few quiet murmurings, but nothing that gave anything away. Letting out the air in her lungs she gazed upwards at the single, bare light bulb, before checking her watch again.

Fifteen minutes and still noth–

It was the quickest of sounds that stopped her thought process. Just a moment, and such a short one she couldn't even be sure she'd heard it in the first place; but Rose definitely thought she heard the voices in the next room become louder, more agitated, and then a crash, like china falling to the floor. She shifted towards the counter, trying to hear. But all that met her was odd silence.

Then, taking her quite by surprise, the Doctor stormed out with a face like dark thunder. He lifted the detachable part of the counter, walked through, then all but slammed it back into place. He turned to Rose with frustration written all across his features.

"That man is incorrigible!" he exclaimed, pointing emphatically in the direction from where he had just come and meeting her eye. "First, he sits and goes on about 'the fate of the planet', then he complains at me about how culture has changed, and then he said I would have to pay extortionate prices for him to look at the psychic paper because I was _foreign_. Of all the things to say - 'foreign'. Me, foreign! I'm about the most un-foreign person I know. Fit in anywhere, I do. Anyway, gave him the paper just the same, he said he'd take a look at it but that we should make ourselves scarce in the meanwhile. Take a tour, see the sights, that sort of thing. Bloody cheek, if you ask me. 'Foreign' indeed. How are you, by the way?"

As far as Rose could tell, he hadn't even taken a breath. She nodded and put on a smile. "Great, yeah. So, um... can we go back to the TARDIS and wait?"

"'Fraid not," the Doctor responded, making his way over to the door. "Shouldn't really go leaving this place – not with the psychic paper still being here. Who knows what could go wrong?"

"Did I just hear you right?" Rose asked with a cheeky smile as he held the door open for her. "Are you taking precautions for once, rather than just jumping in with your eyes closed?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? This place gives me the willies; I'd rather keep a close eye on it. Now then... it's a pretty quiet day here today. Festival the other week, all celebrations and confetti and cheering. Not much to do for the people now except exist for a while. But there should be somewhere for us to go exploring down this way. Follow me."

He definitely seemed to have it all thought out. Rose didn't get a chance to respond, as he was already continuing down the alleyway, kicking rubbish out of his way as he went. She had to trot to catch up with him, and she longed to be able to just rush up to him and grab his hand, maybe push into his shoulder with hers...

She let out a sigh. This was going to be harder than she thought.

The alley eventually widened into a street, busier than ones she had seen before. The Doctor was still walking a few paces ahead of her, head high and shoulders back as though he owned the street. Rose gave a small, knowing smile: that was probably exactly what he was thinking.

As they continued to walk, it began to dawn on Rose just how similar this street seemed to all of the others. She and the Doctor were the only real movement wherever they went: everyone else was either shuffling slowly down the streets, or stood in small groups talking quietly. And, what was even stranger, she noticed, was that as the two of them walked by along the street, a strange hush came over anyone they passed and they just stood and watched them.

Swallowing down her fear, Rose strode on to keep up with the Doctor.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly, glancing to a small group of youths to her left, who were eyeing them suspiciously.

"Oh, out and about," the Doctor replied, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I just thought it would be nice to take a wander – I've got a friend here and I'd rather like to see if she's still about."

"I hope she's friendlier than... well, everyone else."

The Doctor looked at her, his eyebrows pulling into a frown.

"What?" Rose challenged.

He just shrugged and continued walking.

The street led to another square, which seemed exactly like the one they had walked through before. Rose's eyes fell on a statue in the centre, but her she quickly looked away before her mind dwelt on it for too long. Instead she looked around the outskirts of the square, to the wooden stalls situated haphazardly outside a few of the buildings. Many of them were covered with heavy sheets, implying they were closed, but one or two seemed to be open. There were many strange and nameless objects sitting on benches, and as they walked by, Rose only got a small window of time to look at them.

There were odd ball-like objects on one, and it was impossible to tell whether they were solid or gaseous. At least two of them were floating, and just by looking at them Rose felt an odd discomfort tingle over her skin. Another stall seemed to have nothing, but a crudely written sign suggested the owner was trying to get rid of his horde of invisible coffins. The sickening thought turned to bile in her stomach and, for lack of anywhere else to look, Rose just stared at her feet.

"All right there, soldier?" she heard the Doctor ask after an unnatural silence had passed between them. She glanced up and offered a fleeting smile, but other than that, gave no response. A sympathetic, if slightly patronising, expression crossed his face, then he nodded in the direction of some bleak houses up ahead. "Told you it wasn't far."

They looked just as bland as everywhere else, and Rose would have found it difficult to fake excitement if she'd tried. The truth was, she just wanted to be home again. There was nothing about this place that was particularly inviting, and although she knew it was one of the most interesting places she would ever visit with the Doctor, she couldn't help that her instincts were telling her to just run. Very, very fast in the opposite direction.

Before she knew it, they were standing outside a musty looking door and the Doctor was knocking enthusiastically on the wood (at least, she assumed it was wood). The air was cold now, and Rose had to try hard to stop her teeth from chattering. It was a cold that she could almost feel crawling through her, like some sort of strange insect, and she didn't like it one bit.

"So, who is this?" she asked casually as they waited for the door to open.

The Doctor, who was leaning slightly away from her with his weight on one leg, said, "Oh, just someone I met last time I was here. And if we're here for a while, may as well pay an old friend a visit."

"Thought you didn't make any friends here."

"Did I say that?" he responded, his voice a pitch higher than usual. He frowned up to the top window of the house in though. "Hmm."

Any further conversation was interrupted by the door being opened and a young face peering around the corner. Brown hair fell softly over her face, and Rose couldn't help feeling that the young woman was achingly familiar, despite the fact she knew she'd never met her before.

She seemed to start at the appearance of the Doctor, and opened the door wide. "Well well well, what's all this about Hem– "

"Oh, just a social, business, sort of thing. You know," the Doctor said quickly. He jerked his head in Rose's direction, but kept his eyes sternly on the woman at the door. "Got a new friend since I was last here. Jezera, this is Rose."

The woman looked from the Doctor to Rose, and Rose felt her insides grow cold.

"So I see," she responded drily as she looked back. "Coming in?"

"If you don't mind, yeah," came the off-hand reply. "You and I have got some talking, I should think."

Jezera simply nodded and let them in. Rose followed the Doctor across the threshold, shivering slightly as the air in the cold house came up to meet her. She gave the room a furtive glance, under the impression that if she did anything too obvious she would be punished for rudeness.

The front door had led to a living room which housed a small, glass coffee table with a wooden frame and two fabric armchairs that faced it. Across the room there was a fire, and although there was ash in it, it seemed so still that Rose got the feeling it hadn't been used in months, if not years. The carpet was a dusty green and from the window, dull light made a half-hearted attempt at creeping in. In the air hung a slightly musty scent, a sort of strange dampness.

Rose looked back to Jezera. Her black hair just touched her shoulders, framing a pale but youthful face. Her features were smooth and dainty, almost child-like; but her eyes were incredibly sharp, as though she was able to see right in to what you were thinking. Cautiously, Rose averted her gaze. This house was very strange, and it didn't settle her nerves in the slightest.

"Could I... get a cup of tea?" she asked without realising she was even speaking.

Jezera, who had been muttering something to the Doctor in undertones, stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

Rose shrugged and looked to her trainers. "I just wondered if you had any tea," she clarified.

"Tea...?" Jezera asked, confused.

"Rose," the Doctor said quietly, coming over to her. She looked up at him and found his face with a mild but open expression. "They don't have 'tea' on this planet. We won't be two ticks, anyway. In fact... why don't you go for a walk? Jez and I need to do some catching up."

Rose stared at him, feeling the blood grow slightly cold in her veins. Hadn't he told her to stay with him for all times? She went to speak, but Jezera got there before her.

"Now, now, _Doctor_," she intoned, a little too sweetly for Rose's liking as she placed a hand on his arm. "You know what some people can be like. If they see a rafarr just wandering the streets on her own, there's no knowing what they'll do. Besides – " She looked towards Rose, her expression pleasant, but her eyes dark " – Whatever we need to discuss will be fine for her ears. Isn't that right, Rose?"

Their eye contact held for a moment or two before Rose came to a decision; she looked to the Doctor.

"Actually," she said, her voice clipped: she'd had enough of people speaking for her. "I think I will go for a walk. Could do with some fresh air, and you two look like you could do with some privacy."

She gave the Doctor a pointed look as she spoke; but where usually he might have reacted by giving her an expression to silently explain his actions to her – as he so often did in times like this – he just looked back to Jezera again. Rose began to feel an uncomfortable churning in her stomach as the seconds ticked by. There was something that the Doctor wasn't telling her, and knowing that made her trust in him waver slightly. But she did trust him. And because of that she had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" Jezera asked as Rose made for the front door. Rose ignored her.

"Rose!" the Doctor said suddenly. She paused, but didn't turn. He walked up to her and stood a few inches away, lowering his voice to a tone that only she would hear. "Be careful, okay? It is dangerous. You can take care of yourself, but… don't go to far. Stay in the vicinity. I'll come and find you in about half an hour."

Still without turning, Rose replied, "Where will we meet?"

"I'll find you," was all he said in response, but it was said to her retreating back.

Turning around, the Doctor considered Jezera for a long moment. He then let a wide smile spread across his face, revealing teeth that were almost fang-like. A glint appeared in his eye and he let out a low chuckle that seemed oddly dark in the cold room.

"Well," he drawled, sliding his hands into his pockets and ambling over to the beautiful woman. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Jezera seemed to ponder, looking up at him with equal impishness, "that you've done a very good job."

And the Doctor just smiled and smiled.

-oOo-

The air outside was cold – colder than it had been when they'd gone into the house. Rose looked up to the sky, feeling a certain odd freedom about being out here alone. It felt like defying a parent, despite the fact she knew she had done nothing wrong. The sky was still grey, but textured, and on the horizon it glowed golden where the sun, or what she assumed to be the sun, burned through.

Jezera's house was in a quiet street away from the centre of the city. Feeling like she was near the outskirts Rose headed away from where she and the Doctor had come from, following the cobbled road to the end. Gradually, the houses began to turn into bushes and shrubbery as the cobbles turned into dust on the path. Before long, Rose found she was walking along a thin and winding footpath that led through a fine wood. It was prettier here, and the air smelled cleaner.

She had missed this feeling, and Rose suddenly felt a pang for the Doctor. She wanted him here with her now, not because she felt nervous any more, but because this was exactly the sort of thing she missed doing with him. She missed wandering through places and seeing everything, but at the same time being totally apart from it, in her own little bubble with the Doctor by her side.

She was still in her bubble, but the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. His wide grin and aloof persona were somewhere else, with someone else, and Rose was left to walk on her own.

"Because he has to talk to _Jezera_," she muttered aloud, bitterness teetering on the edge of her voice. She admitted to herself that she had felt jealousy in that house: Jezera was obviously someone he had known reasonably well the last time he was here. It was almost as if they had kept up a friendship that hadn't been broken by his leaving the planet for… however many years it had been. They certainly seemed to know each other very well.

But then, thinking back to Sarah Jane Smith, hadn't he been the same way with her? All right, so perhaps his face had changed, but after that initial shock, they had seemed to get on as though nothing had changed at all.

Rose stopped walking suddenly – Jezera hadn't expressed any surprise whatsoever at the Doctor's changed face. In fact, no mention had been made of it at all. And surely, if he had been here in a previous regeneration, there would have been some registration that he at least _looked_ a little bit different? But, no: it was as if she had known all along.

The strange, unsettled feeling returned to Rose's stomach as she continued wandering, the wood now having opened out into a field with long blades of grass flowing in the breeze. She didn't remember ever leaving the path; in fact, thinking about it, she couldn't remember much before half an hour ago. Once again, Rose stopped walking, but this time it was to work through the strange mental block that had suddenly befallen her.

She was on a hill. The horizon to her left was still golden with sunlight. Behind her was a small wood she had just walked through, and ahead another wood; but this one was denser, thicker, greener. It was the sort of wood that made her think of tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Grettle. It was the sort of wood, in other words, that she knew she wanted to avoid.

In the middle of the field was what looked like a statue, old and weathered with time. Rose frowned towards it, trying to remember…

She and the Doctor, they had landed here perhaps… little more than an hour ago? She checked her watch. It took her a few seconds to realise it that the hands had stopped ticking. She thought she should probably feel worried about that, but she couldn't remember why. Gazing at the statue again, she felt something nag at her brain, like a fishing line tugging at something in the river. But she couldn't see what it was.

Why were they even here? It must be for something important; she was pretty sure this place was dangerous (had the Doctor told her that?) and it wouldn't be for the thrill of it. Although, as Rose looked around, she found herself appreciating the beauty that was around. Perhaps the Doctor _had_ just brought her here for a holiday: there was no doubt that she certainly felt quite at home here.

Following a sudden impulse, Rose began to pace over to the statue in the middle of the field. The grass tickled her hands as she walked and she smiled, feeling sensations that reminded her of her childhood. The air was warm on her cheeks, thawing out the cold that had lain there before. The warmth spread through her body and gave her a comfortable sense of calm. It was a lot easier to consider things when she felt like this, she realised.

Like, for example, Jezera. Now, Rose couldn't remember for the life of her what she could have had against the woman, who was kindly enough to let her into her home when she hadn't seen the Doctor after goodness knows how long. Rose felt a sudden icicle of guilt when she remembered how rude she had been, and resolved to make it up when she returned to the house to find the Doctor.

The statue was a lot taller than she had expected. She stared up at it, squinting slightly into the sunlight that was becoming ever brighter. The statue was carved out of deep black stone that looked to be cold to the touch. It was of a man who stood proudly staring forward, a shield in one hand and a spear in the other. He was wearing strong armour and his expression, though blank, held a certain courage about it. Rose let herself admire it for a moment more, then let her eyes drift to the inscription at the base.

'Yet as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,' it read in large, bold letters, 'I fear no evil.'

Rose gave a shiver. For just a second, she felt the warm feeling drop, as though somebody had put a damp blanket around everything. But soon it was back and she felt content again. This place really was beautiful, she realised – the Doctor was right.

"Yes," agreed a voice from beside her. Rose started, surprised. "It is beautiful. Would you like me to show you?"

A comfortable smile spread over Rose's face. This felt oddly like a dream she never thought she'd have.

"Yes," she answered, nodding and turning to the man from the strange shop from earlier. "Yes, I would."

He did little but stare soberly at the statue. "Then come with me."

* * *

Preview...

_**Chapter IV – Prison**_

_The Doctor replaced his teacup to the saucer and met his eye with a steely glint. "What have you done with Rose?"_

_Hemlock shrugged his eyebrows and sat back into the large armchair, tapping his long fingernails on the arm. "I have done nothing."_


	5. Prison

**Chapter IV – Prison**

For the first time in this regeneration, the Doctor was actually fairly worried. Yes, 'fairly' seemed an adequate way to put it. Fairly worried, that's what he was. Not devastatingly so, but just enough to make his fingertips tingle and his heart rate to change ever so slightly.

It took him a while to notice he still had his eyes closed.

He opened one first, and then the other, becoming conscious of the darkened room he appeared to be in. Had he been knocked unconscious, then? He couldn't really remember much, bar the lukewarm discussion that had gone on before.

He recalled the little room in the back of the shop. The one with a dinky little table, and squishy armchairs, and a roaring fire in the grate. He remembered sitting with Hemlock and chatting easily for what could have only been a few minutes. Rose's face, the pale, scared one, then swam into view, blocking out the rest of the memories for a further moment or two.

She had looked so nervous, that something bad would happen, and now here he was locked away in a dark room with a fuzzy memory. The fist of guilt punched him in the stomach.

Then, as though a light had clicked on in his head, he became completely aware. Rose! Was she all right? How much time had passed (it was a little hard to gauge when one was unconscious)? Where was she? Questions flooded his mind so quickly he began to get a headache.

"Okay," the Doctor said aloud, and breathed out slowly. "Assets. As_sets_…"

It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that his plan had been seriously flawed. He clicked his tongue impatiently, waiting for ideas to return to him – but it were as though some sort of mental block had come over him, and he just couldn't think.

He had been in the room with Hemlock, he remembered that much. He remembered being anxious about Rose, but somehow trusting that she would be okay… fat lot of good that did. He knew he shouldn't have trusted this place. Now she was God knew where and he was strung up like some sort of animal.

Wait, hang on…

Strung up? The revelation startled him and he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. He tried to wriggle and move, but there were most definitely bonds attaching him to a wall and holding him upwards. He strained his wrists, trying to shift them out of the leathery material that held them; but he had no luck.

With a sigh the Doctor relaxed again and let his head drop down. He closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? He was a tied up prisoner with no way of escaping. The room was dark – too dark for him to see, certainly, even with his exceptional vision. Through the darkness he heard a strange trickling sound. It was sort of like water, but thicker, maybe the consistency of blood.

He held in a shiver and tried to focus on his other senses. His body felt crushed, as though the air pressure had increased and the oxygen was struggling to survive. It was as though his body was pushing in on itself, as though he had his own force of gravity at his centre; it was a strange feeling. Underground, then: at least he had figured out that much. He was being kept prisoner in a room underground, with no food, no water, and nothing but the sound of dripping blood for company.

Fantastic.

The most worrying thing was the loss of his memory. He hadn't simply been knocked out, he realised: in his line of work, he had been knocked out more times than he would care to count. No, this work was done by that of a professional, one that knew him very well and knew how to manipulate the surroundings of the planet, to alter reality slightly.

That was another thing he disliked about Elusion. Reality was very unstable here; it was incredibly easy to influence the nature of physical properties. Unless one was very well trained in the mind and psychic resonances, as he was, it was a very dangerous occupation to wander around on the streets. It was one of the other reasons he was so worried about Rose.

He trusted her, yes, and trusted her ability even sometimes above his own; but she wouldn't be strong enough to see past any altered reality that might present itself to her. She was just too human. Which made it even more important for him to find a way out of here.

Rather lamely, the Doctor also realised that he was hungry. As he felt his stomach contract he remembered that it had been a good few hours since he had eaten anything. He knew that Hemlock had offered him something to eat, but he hadn't wanted to take it.

"I'm not here to waste time with trivialities," he had said to the squat man, who'd peered up at him over his spectacles and offered him a tray of dubious looking cakes. "And you know it. Just tell me what I can do with this."

He produced the psychic paper once again. The little man cleared his throat and slid the metal tray across the round table between the two armchairs. His eyes glanced up to the Doctor.

"You may as well sit down," he answered, his voice firm. "We've got a lot to talk about."

Despite his reservations at the time, the Doctor had obeyed him. Hemlock had taken the chair opposite and they discussed, briefly, what was wrong with the psychic paper. The Doctor had been asked when the psychic paper had stopped working, what other symptoms it had showed, what he expected Hemlock to do about it… but gradually the questions turned more personal. The small man had been very interested in what Rose's relation was to the Doctor, how long the two of them intended to stay in the area, what had made the Doctor bring her with him in the first place, and so on.

As the conversation continued he had even poured out some tea (or what the Doctor assumed to be close enough to tea) from a patterned china teapot, and the sipped the tangy-tasting liquid with appreciation. But then the atmosphere had changed.

Something passed across Hemlock's eyes, a strange kind of darkness, like a flash of obsidian, and at that moment the Doctor realised he had made the wrong decision. But there was nothing he could do.

"You know I can't help you," the man had said with something of a formality, sitting up in the chair and steepling his fingers. "You've known it since you walked through that door. You knew it since you even came to this place. Yet still you left her. Intriguing."

The Doctor replaced his teacup to the saucer and met his eye with a steely glint. "What have you done with Rose?"

Hemlock shrugged his eyebrows and sat back into the large armchair, tapping his long fingernails on the arm. "I have done nothing."

"Done nothing? I came here for your help, for your counsel!" the Doctor cried, glaring at the little man. "Have you forgotten what I did for you and your people all those years ago? The people of Elusion have a lot of qualities, but I would never have thought betrayal was – "

"You are getting ahead of yourself, Doctor," Hemlock interrupted, spitting his name in almost hatred. "You did nothing for us. You might be able to fool the more mindless of my species, but I am on par with you in that respect. You crashed here as a result of your spaceship malfunctioning. We should have strung you up we had the chance. But, no. You were 'fighting a virus'. 'Saving us'. I believe those were the words that came out of your mouth when you lied to save your own skin. But rather than punishing you for your intrusion on our planet, the ramifications of which we are _still_ suffering to this day, you were commended and sent on your merry way. Indeed, it was I who was to commission your reward. You lied and you stole, Doctor, and left a path of destruction in your wake. And you didn't look back once. So if anyone here shall be accused of betrayal, it is _you_."

It had been an awkward few moments of silence after that, each of the men staring each other down and daring the other one to speak. Eventually, the Doctor relaxed, and sank back into the chair.

"Be that as it may," he sighed wearily, running his fingers across his eyes, "believe it or not I can't change the past."

Hemlock sniffed. "There should be a death sentence above your head, Doctor."

"And I suppose you would be the one to deliver it?" he snarled in return.

"Just as much as you would be the one to avoid it, Doctor. You are the man who escapes death at every corner – even you cannot deny that. Yet here you are, once again, seeking help from me. Did you really expect I would give it you?"

The Doctor looked up, his eyes almost hollow. "Please," he begged flatly. "I'm led to believe you're the only one who can."

"That is correct." Hemlock nodded. "But were you really so foolish enough as to believe that the psychic paper merely broke down of its own accord? Did you really think the material was capable of degrading over time?"

The Doctor looked up slowly, realisation creeping over him like a skin disease. "You did it on purpose."

"Yes."

"A trap?"

"Somewhat. It has been a trap ever since you acquired it, Doctor – I'm surprised you did not figure it out beforehand. If you thought you could escape our planet without any consequences, then I have given you more credit than you deserve. I never trusted you. So when I was told it was me who was to choose the appropriate reward, I did the only thing I could. I enchanted the psychic paper, Doctor. It's a tracker. It works both ways. Whenever you use it, when you manipulate it with your mind, it shows the reader exactly what you want them to see; but at the same time it provides a window for _me_ to see exactly where you are and _when_ you are in time. I have been following your movements ever since you left, Doctor. And you've walked right into my hands."

He was smiling, a grin that was malevolent and only reached his eyes in a sneer. The Doctor felt the flutter of panic rise in his chest. Rose. He knew it was a mistake coming here, but he had never suspected this. However, he cleared his throat and regulated his breathing: it was imperative that he kept his cool demeanour at all time.

"I suppose this means you think you've won."

"Oh, quite the contrary, I should think," Hemlock replied lightly, making to stand up. "No doubt you have some devious little plan locked up in that head of yours. I would quite like to have a look. But for now, I think, you should sleep. I will see to your… _lovely_ assistant."

The instant the words registered in the Doctor's mind, he bared his teeth and a courageous glint flashed across his eyes. "Hurt her, and I _will_ kill you."

Hemlock chuckled, a deep sound that rumbled all around them. "I have heard legends about you, Doctor; but I don't think even you are capable of that. Now. Please, sleep. You will feel much better, I promise."

After that, the Doctor couldn't remember much more. The light went out on his memory and he was left with a patch of darkness. Hemlock must have altered reality in some respect that he didn't recognise. Either that or a potent sleeping potion had been put in…

"The tea," the Doctor breathed loudly from the wall, resting his head against the hard surface behind him. "It was the tea." He let out a groan of frustration. "Why didn't I recognise it?"

He really was slipping up on his game, he realised. Getting old. In his own foolish way he had cast aside his cynicism for this place as though it meant nothing. He had chosen to trust in a man he wanted help from because he honestly believed that was the right thing to do. And now look where he was. If this was where trusting people got him, it was a wonder he did it at all.

Then, in surprise, he jerked his head up and opened his eyes. A thin shaft of light had fallen down his body, alerting him to another presence. The door of the room had been opened.

* * *

Preview...

_**Chapter V – Search and Rescue**_

_The woman, pocketing her knife, gave a strange sort of bow. "Jezera Mewlan, at your service."_


	6. Search and Rescue

**Chapter V – Search and Rescue**

A figure slinked through the quickly darkening streets just as a wind started to whip up around her. She reached up and clasped the hood of her cloak closer to her face, making sure it would not reveal her identity to anyone she happened to pass. Winter was drawing in fast. She cast a nervous glance up to the sky above, her forehead creasing with worry. It was of a deeper texture than usual and that always meant bad news. From what Mägdraz had always said in her teachings, there were usually –

No.

She quickly reminded herself that those were days of the past, days that were gone. She didn't want to end up exiled as well. She had to keep her head low.

As she walked her footsteps echoed hollowly on the cobbles; she found herself remembering a time that was a better than this, a time that hadn't need for secret police and conspiracies and punishment. It was a long time ago. Of course, now, _she_ was having to play the hero. She had been watching ever since they had arrived, using her forbidden powers to sense the disturbance that had affected the world's atmosphere. It wasn't their fault. She knew that. She knew that Hemlock was lusting after vengeance and she knew he wouldn't rest until he got it.

Having taken the oath, she was unable to reveal herself to anyone who was not already a member of the secret police, but that made her job very difficult. None of them would believe that Hemlock, the wise, old keeper in the store, had gone mad. She would be laughed at, and possibly even thrown out of the cult; which meant she had to work on her own, and that was always dangerous.

Still, it was always the way she preferred. Her first duty was to locate the Doctor – after whatever Hemlock had done with him – and make sure he was still all right. Her next was to find the girl, Rose, and just hope that they could get to her before Hemlock did. She had bought herself a little time by pretending she was just popping out for a couple of supplies; but that wouldn't keep the wizened man at bay for long. He would soon figure it out, and then he would no longer trust her. This was her only chance.

With a renewed determination, she paced quicker down the streets. It wasn't long now before she reached the shop she knew the Doctor was being kept prisoner, and then... then she would have to see. She might already be too late.

Pushing such thoughts out of her mind, she nuzzled her chin into her cloak and kept walking.

-oOo-

He couldn't make out who it was at first because he was staring directly into a silhouette. But gradually the door opened wider and a hooded figure stepped into the room.

The Doctor sighed and his shoulders dropped. "All right," he said with a defeated air. "Do what you will. But I warn you, I will escape; you can't keep me in here forever."

Without a word two hands reached up and lowered the hood, revealing a smooth-skinned woman. Thick hair was cut to shape her ovalled face and two clever, quick eyes peered back at him.

"Hello," he said, without quite meaning to.

She smiled. "Hello, Doctor."

"Ah. You know of me, then."

"Yes, and I also know you're in great peril." She walked up to him and produced a silver blade. As a reaction the Doctor flinched and moved himself away from her. She paused in her motion towards him. "I'm here to help you," she said in a soft voice. "I mean you no harm. Hemlock has been driven mad. He's captured you and is probably in the process of enslaving your companion. We need to move quickly."

The Doctor relaxed and, after locking eyes with her for a brief moment, nodded. She reached up and began to cut his binds. It only took a few moments before he was free and he gratefully rubbed his wrists, trying to relieve the pain from the strong leather.

"So," he began, looking down to the woman with an expression that was impossible to read. "Who might you be?"

The woman, pocketing her knife, gave a strange sort of bow. "Jezera Mewlan, at your service."

"Is that so?" the Doctor responded. "Well, Jezera Mewlan at my service, tell me – what exactly is going on? If I had to guess I'd say that old Hemlock has something against me – lord knows what – and that he's out on some endeavour to 'get me'. From the look of him I'd guess it's going to have some blood and gore. He looks like a blood and gore sort of man."

The corner of Jezera's lip twitched as she fought off a smirk. "Well, you have the first part right, at least, Doctor. He has been obsessed with you ever since you left our planet the last time you were here. It's not enough to simply kill you any more, he wants to do more than that. He wants to make you suffer."

"Well, that was almost predictable," the Doctor said flippantly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Wherever I go, whoever I'm with, someone always ends up wanting to make me suffer. Death is never enough, oh no, they have to mock me, too. I tell you, it's a hard life this, this travelling business."

Once again Jezera smiled, but it quickly faded, and when she spoke next, her voice was filled with apprehension. "Doctor, we don't have much time."

He looked at her sharply. "Why? What's happened?"

"It's your companion – "

"Rose?" In an instant his face grew dark and he stepped towards Jezera, who took a pace back from him. She raised her hands slightly in defence. "What's he done with her?"

"Nothing yet," Jezera assured, fixing the Doctor with a calm gaze. "He manipulated her mind so that she would see you in his place. He then took her from his shop, led her to me. Fortunately he still believes me to be on his side, part of his whole plot to expose you for the villain he believes you to be and make your companion one of our own in the meantime. He doesn't know that I've betrayed him, but it won't take him long until he figures it out. The likelihood is he'll come here; having realised my treachery he'll know I would come to rescue you, and the girl, and he'll do everything he can to stop us."

In the dim light the Doctor's eyes shimmered as he considered Jezera quietly. "You put yourself in danger. For me," he said softly, with a touch of awe in his voice. "If he finds you here, he's going to kill you."

"He's going to try," Jezera answered with a touch of warmth. "I'm not completely unprepared. And I'm not an amateur, either, Doctor – I'll know how to defend myself should he turn up."

Another moment of silence passed as they looked at each other. Then, almost brightly, the Doctor looked up and sucked in a breath.

"Right, then. So here's what we have so far. My friend is out wandering the streets on her own, correct?"

"Unfortunately so. I tried to get her to stay in the house, where I knew at least I could protect her, but she refused – and I couldn't blow my cover immediately under Hemlock's eyes. I had to let her go. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," the Doctor replied earnestly. "You did what you could. What you've done already is fine enough. Where is she now?"

Jezera sighed and looked to the floor. "I don't know. She just said she was going for a walk; she could have gone anywhere."

"Typical. I tell her never to leave my side, and that's exactly what she does! I know it wasn't me, but still." The Doctor began to pace. "Okay. So she's somewhere, on her own, vulnerable in a world she doesn't know. There's a man who's baying for my blood, in one way or another, and who seems to be fixated on causing me harm. So, easy. All I have to do is find Rose before he does and whisk her back to the TARDIS. I suppose we'll have to do without the psychic paper from now on, but that's hardly the issue here. The first thing I have to worry about is where Rose is; we can sort Hemlock out afterwards, don't you think?" He looked up to find Jezera looking at him as though he were quite mad. He flashed her a grin. "And to think, this was supposed a day off."

"Doctor," Jezera said with pleading in her voice. "We haven't much time," she repeated.

"Right, yes. Well. Better lead the way, then."

"You suggest searching the entire city? That will take hours – hours that we don't have."

"What else am I supposed to do?" he replied heatedly. "It's not as if I wander around with a Rose-sensor, is it? And at least if I don't know where she is, Hemlock probably won't either."

Jezera looked down to her floor and fiddled with a ring on her hand. The Doctor gazed at her intently.

"What is it?" he asked at length.

"You know our race, Doctor," Jezera answered quietly, still not looking at him. "He will probably use his mind to find her – search for her amongst the other people of our world. She is quite different; she would be very obvious." The Doctor sighed, but Jezera continued hurriedly. "I have the same power. But if I open up my mind in search of her, it's entirely likely the Hemlock will be watching. He would know of us and our plans and the only thing we could hope for would be time on our side."

The Doctor ran a hand down his face. "Is there any other choice?"

"I don't think so."

"Well then. I think you'd better get to work."

-oOo-

She woke. It was sudden, a surprise, something quite apart from what she was used to on the TARDIS. It took her a moment to realise what was wrong. Usually, there was a faint glow coming from the walls that shed soft light around the entire room. If she sat up slightly she could see the wardrobe resting at the other wall; a door to the bathroom beside it; along the wall to her left, a long dressing table; the door out to the corridor, on her right side.

But instead, it was gloomy, the middle of the night. She was lying somewhere strange and was staring at a blank wall bathed in an odd sort of moonlight. She blinked once, then twice, and let her memory filter back to her like sun rays through clouds; she always felt like this when she first woke up. Something was beeping, steadily, like the ticking of a clock, low and quiet in the silence.

As her consciousness slowly returned, she began to remember things. She'd been in a field, with a strange statue. She remembered the strange man from the shop turning up beside her, but then... then he had gone, and she had been running somewhere, through a wood, with a lot of corridors and some very strange shouts in the distance. There had been a sharp pain just above her stomach, tight and pinching. Then... nothing. It had felt like something of a dream, which she decided it must have been, but that still left the question of where she was now. Why couldn't she remember?

She tried to call for the Doctor, to see where he was – but instead of speaking her body gave a violent cough, as though she hadn't spoken any real words in years. Her throat was sore and her muscles ached and she felt as though she had well and truly been put through the blender. There had better be a good excuse for this, she decided, otherwise she was going to give the Doctor a good 'talking to'.

With her mind still hazy, Rose tried to sit up. She still hadn't figured out where she was yet, but wherever it was, their beds were certainly tucked in very tightly: her covers were incredibly restricting and she had to spare a few minutes to tug them away from the mattress underneath. And the strange thing was, after she had invested all that effort, she became suddenly overwhelmed with tiredness, and settled back down into the warm covers.

Something stirred at the end of the bed and made her jump. It was still very dark, nothing but a window with a blind over it to give light from the night outside. Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness Rose could see a figure slumped in a chair. It began to stir as though waking from sleep.

"Oh, my God. Rose?" came the croaky question, and Rose froze. She would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Mum?"

* * *

Preview...

_**Chapter VI – The Damage Done**_

"_You're no killer."_

"_Killer, no," Jezera agreed. Malevolent mischief flashed in her eyes. "But protector? Now, that's a different story."_


	7. The Damage Done

**Chapter VI – The Damage Done**

They walked in unison. The streets were strangely quiet – so much so that their footsteps and voices echoed through the alleyways and bounced off the walls of buildings.

"Anything?" the Doctor asked his companion to one side. When she didn't answer he cast his eyes sky-ward with impatience. "Look, I thought you said – "

"It takes _time_, Doctor," Jezera assured him without looking up. "If I'm to tap in to the world's particle matrix and pinpoint just one girl, I'm going to need to rely on all the resources I have. I can already sense what area of the city Rose is in, but apart from that, you're just going to have to wait." She looked at him, her eyes wide and glowing chrome. "I'm sorry. I'm doing my best."

The Doctor's eyes lingered on her, intrigue flashing behind them. He then nodded and looked to the floor.

It had been a long time since he had been here last, and after this experience, he wouldn't wonder if he vowed never to come here again. Psychic paper or no, it wasn't worth getting Rose caught up in it all. But then, that said, with that rule of thumb, it was a surprise they ever left the TARDIS. If they got out of here alive, he would make sure to –

"Doctor!"

Jezera had stopped dead in the street and flung an arm out to stop him. Her eyes were closed, her face screwed up in pain. Her eyes were moving rapidly behind their lids and her body had started to tremble. The Doctor laid a hand gently on her shoulder.

"I've found her," she said before he could ask. There was a breathiness in her voice that hadn't been there a moment ago. "I can see... There's a field, the field at the edge of the city. She's by the Statue of Strength... There's... oh, no..."

Jezera took a sharp intake of breath, followed by a small moan.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, his voice aggravated with worry. "Tell me what you see!"

"He's with her!" she shouted, shaking off his grip. "He's with her and he's talking to her, and..." Jezera's eyes flew open and she stared right into the Doctor's. Hers swirled an angry yellow, barbs of electricity fizzing around them. He stared back defiantly. "...He's going to destroy her, and then he's going to come for you."

"Oh, fun for all the family," the Doctor responded, stepping backwards. "I'll pass on the peril, thank you. Just tell me which way I go."

Jezera hesitated, her eyes dilating and returning to their more natural shade. The Doctor looked at her expectantly, madness beginning to spill out across his features. Eventually she nodded straight ahead and, before she could say a word, the Doctor was running.

He was running like his life depended on it. She called his name in vain from behind, but he didn't turn. He dodged around the next corner, thankful that the path was linear. His footsteps thudded on the heavy cobbles, matching the rhythm in his hearts. If Hemlock was with Rose, now, there wasn't much time...

Suddenly, from nowhere, Jezera appeared in front of him. The Doctor skidded to a stop to avoid running right into her, and consequently stumbled into a wall, knocking his head against the brick in the process. Jezera seemed not to notice and her coat flew out violently either side of her.

"Never make me do that again," she spat, eyes alive with a different fury as she watched him stagger to his feet. "Teleportation is dangerous and risky. If you'd just waited a second – "

"I can't," the Doctor pleaded back. Anger rose in his stomach like a monster. He tore his head away from Jezera's gaze and looked forlornly up the street. "This is no time for idle chit-chat."

"You don't even know where you're going," she pointed out, reasonably, the rage in her eyes subsiding.

Their gaze held for an intense moment. Eventually the Doctor let out his breath and looked at the floor. He owed a lot to this woman.

"All right," he conceded, helplessness in his voice. "Lead the way. But you'd be able to run."

He followed her out of the alleyway at a jog. They crossed a square – busier than the others, and they attracted a fair amount of startled looks – dipped in and out of another, narrow, alleyway, ran up a street, then took a sharp turn off the fork they came to. The houses and building began to peter out until eventually there was just a dusty, stone path. Bushes and sparse trees began to appear as the left the city behind them.

"It's just past here," Jezera panted, turning back to look at the Doctor. The trees now were thick enough to make something of a tunnel, which curved away from them up ahead. The pair ran on, urgency in their step. Then the trees stopped, suddenly, and gave way to a clearing, a meadow of long grass up to the Doctor's arms. In the middle, several hundred metres away, stood a tall, obsidian statue, shining down like a bad omen. And, next to the statue...

"...Rose."

"Hemlock's with her," Jezera warned as they slowed, so as not to arouse suspicion from its wakeful rest.

The Doctor squinted up the hill. "Where?"

"You can't see him; but trust me, he's there. Heaven knows what he's doing to her."

"Come on." The Doctor started jogging up the steepening hill, his coat tails flying out behind him. He ignored the warning Jezera was shouting at him; it was too late now.

Rose was staring at the statue, eyes wide and slightly glazed, when he got to her. All too aware that Hemlock was probably around, the Doctor approached cautiously.

"Rose?" he asked tentatively. She didn't look at him. He took a step towards her and reached out to her arm.

Before he could touch her, there was a loud crack and a bright light sparked from nowhere. Withdrawing his hand in shock, the Doctor looked down to the squat little man who had suddenly appeared beside Rose. His eyes were black as onyx and alive with danger.

"I'll thank you not to meddle in my affairs, Doctor," Hemlock snarled. "You've troubled me one time too – "

"Oh, do shut up," the Doctor said exasperatedly, pushing past him to Rose's side. "Rose?"

From his side, Hemlock's mouth curled into a menacing smile.

"You're too late," he said, a laugh starting on the edge of his voice.

"Rose, look at me."

She did: it took the Doctor everything he had not to recoil. Her face was livid, contorted into pure and vile rage. Her eyes were as dark as Hemlock's, flecks of gold and red swirling around them. Her teeth were bared, her canines pointed as though they'd been used to tear the flesh off a carcass. She looked like some sort of wild animal.

"What have you done to her?" the Doctor cried, rounding on Hemlock. "What the hell have you done?"

Instead of answering, Hemlock look delightedly at Rose. She looked down at him. "Remember what I told you, Rose. This man is your enemy. He led you into danger."

"En-em-y," she said thickly.

The Doctor felt the blood drain from his face. "No. Rose, no..."

"Go," Hemlock continued, nodding his head up the field, where a dense wood lay. "Run for your life. Or you'll have no life to run for."

Rose looked hesitantly from Hemlock to the Doctor, her breathing ragged and her stance tense. The Doctor could hardly bear to look at her, at his Rose deformed like this. Tears began to rise in his eyes.

"Rose," he tried again, helplessly, and he stepped toward her once more.

It was all the action she needed. Quick as lightning she had turned and bolted away, running far faster than the Doctor had ever seen. He stood watching, his hearts heavy enough to weigh him down.

"You see, Doctor," Hemlock hummed pleasantly, watching her figure get smaller as she disappeared into the distance. "She's mine, now."

"Bring her back, or I'll destroy you," the Doctor told him matter-of-factly as he looked down to the small man.

Hemlock gave a laugh. "My dear Doctor; I think not."

"Giver her back to me!" he roared, unable to contain his frustration any longer.

"Do as he says, Hemlock." The two men turned to see Jezera standing a few paces behind them. She looked from one to the other with a dark eye. "Bring the girl back."

"Jezera," he sneered, considering her with ire. "I might have known you'd betray me."

She fixed him with a steely glare. "Enough people have suffered at your hand. The Doctor and I are here to end it."

"Well, I'm afraid you're too late," he chuckled, looking up to the Doctor again. "She's beyond my control now. I may have manipulated her mind, yes, but she's run away with herself. I can't bring her back. Her mind is too strong."

The two men stood, locked in a silent battle of wills. After a moment, the Doctor looked over to Jezera. "I'm going after her," he said, pointing to the wood.

Jezera's eyes widened. "Not Sine Mentis?" she asked fearfully, looking up to the wood which lined the horizon.

"If that's what it's called, then yes."

"Doctor, you can't – "

But he had already started running, before either she or Hemlock could stop him.

-oOo-

"_Oh, my God. Rose?" came the croaky question, and Rose froze. She would recognise that voice anywhere._

"_Mum?"_

**Earlier**

Everything was bright. Everything was bright, and everything hurt. The colours swirled and dazed her, and she had a throbbing headache which vibrated from the centre of her thoughts. The world was a complex system of ups and downs, lefts and rights. It was all so... alien.

She heard her name. She turned, but saw a monster. It was tall and snarling, covered with thick, dark hair and had long, venomous, teeth. It advanced on her, and inside her mind she screamed.

'Run' a voice said through her thoughts; and run she did. Something underfoot was making her struggle, making her put more effort into running than usual. But she overcame it. On and on she ran, towards a darker collection of colours ahead. Fear began to thrum through her heart like a drum beat, but she ignored it.

There was a shout, a terrible cry from behind her. She took a second to look back. The monster was following her, death and hunger in its eyes. It wanted her.

Petrified, she continued to run through the blinding and dazzling colours until she reached something that felt like sanctuary. It was darker, the paths more defined, that bit less loud. She felt safe here. But she had to keep running. She had nothing else to do.

_Doctor_, said a voice in her head, senseless in amongst the babble of everything else. _I have to find the Doctor..._

-oOo-

Following Rose was like running after a carrot tied to a stick above his head. Every time he gained any distance, she seemed to put on a burst of unnatural speed and sprinted too far ahead of him. He was getting tired. They had long reached the wood, and now he was having to rely on his better senses to keep a track of her. It was darker in here, the waning sunlight drowned out by the leaves. His footsteps cracked on the ground as he ran over twigs and pieces of bark, and his breath was loud in his ears.

Rose was in sight, her jacket catching in what little light there was, her jeans getting muddied by her flurried footsteps. He pushed himself on, desperate to catch her. Whatever Hemlock had done to her, he was certain he could fix it if he could just get to her... Get to her, talk some sense into her, then get her back aboard the TARDIS.

He cursed his own, stupid self; he should never have come here.

It took him a moment to realise he'd lost her. Not only could he not see her any more, but he couldn't sense her presence at all. It was like she'd disappeared. The Doctor came to a stop, taking in deep breaths. He stood, quietly, the tip of his tongue resting against his teeth, and he listened. The wood was alive with sounds: birds, animals, life. But, beyond that, there was an eerie sort of quiet he couldn't quite put his finger on.

And then he heard something that made his blood run cold.

It was Rose. And she was screaming.

-oOo-

"I warn you, child: continue to get in my way and you will not see the morning light."

Jezera and Hemlock glared at each other. "Please," she retorted, muscles tensing, "spare me the speech. A blade of grass could do more damage."

"Don't you dare cheek me! You betrayed me." He paused, considering her. "Why?"

"You're mad, Hemlock." Jezera laughed. "Sitting in that dark, musty shop of yours for aeons on end. It's turned your brain to mud-water. When you came to me, after disguising yourself as the Doctor to the girl, I knew you had gone a step too far. Perhaps he was wrong the last time he had come here – but killing him is even worse. We're not a race of injustice, Hemlock. You've forgotten your own ancestry."

Hemlock let out a strange growl and stepped towards her. "Fool of a girl! I'll have you strung up for your impertinence and your treachery!"

"I think not." The whisper of metal resounded in the air as Jezera whipped her dagger out from under her cloak in a sweeping motion. It glistened with unspilt blood in the daylight. Hemlock faltered.

"You're no killer."

"Killer, no," Jezera agreed. Malevolent mischief flashed in her eyes. "But protector? Now, that's a different story."

The two began to circle each other, eyes focused on their only prey.

"There's no hope for her, you know," Hemlock informed, his voice emotionless. "I could say the same of you."

"You've forgotten one very important thing, Hemlock."

He stopped, interest perked like the ears of a hunter. "What's that?"

A smile fell upon Jezera's lips, and she let it spread. "Mägdraz," she answered, relishing the word. She saw fear flicker in Hemlock's eyes. "That's right. Now you're scared."

"She's banished," he replied harshly, regaining himself. "She was... she was exiled for what she... _saw_."

"I know that, all too well – wasn't it you head of the committee?"

"She was vile!" he spat. "She was an insult to her own kind – !"

"I'll not hear you take her name in vain!" Jezera thundered, lurching forward with the knife ready to strike. "She might have been an outcast, but that doesn't mean she wasn't right."

"And how would you know?" Hemlock answered, drawing away from the pointed blade. "How would a young one like you know _anything_ of Mägdraz?"

"...She was my guide."

Their gazes locked, Jezera's sharp, Hemlock's disbelieving. He looked as though she had just uttered some terrible curse. "You lie," he said slowly. " Mägdraz was guide to nobody."

"Believe what you will, old man; your time is up. It was Mägdraz who guided me in the Sight, and it is on her behalf that I quite happily put an end to all your misdeeds."

"I will not be so easily – "

"Enough, Hemlock. This ends now."

Without another word, Jezera launched herself at the cowering old man, plunging the blade deep into his side. There came a terrifying cry, perhaps from him, perhaps from the world, perhaps from the balance of things. He looked up to her as dark black blood began to flow thickly from the wound over the grass. For a moment their eyes met. And then, before she could do anything to stop him, Hemlock teleported away, shimmering away in front of her eyes like water.

Jezera cursed the gods for his escape, but preyed she had wounded him badly enough that he would not survive long.

She looked down to the ground, at her jewel-handled dagger, and contemplated the pool of blood around it. It had not gone with Hemlock, fortunately, for it wasn't difficult to teleport with belongings that weren't your own. She bent to pick it up. And, as she did so, she heard a wailing scream coming from the woods.

Looking up sharply, fear for Rose dancing in her heart, she concentrated her efforts and – for the final time that day – teleported to the Doctor.

-oOo-

All he could do now was follow the sound. It was close, perhaps through the next thicket of trees. Dodging through them, the Doctor quickly found himself on the edge of a clearing. Across the glade, unaware of the Doctor's presence, was a dark shadow. And in the middle of the opening, fallen to her knees, was Rose.

He went to step forward, but was stopped instantly by Jezera appearing in front of him. He blinked down at her, momentarily startled.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he said in a hiss. "Hemlock?"

Jezera shook her head. He dragged her back to his side, then nodded in the direction of the shadow, which had begun to entire the clearing. It was huge. Six feet tall, at least, with heavy, clawed paws dusted with thick, course fur. At the hind legs talons the size of carving knives shone in the dimming light, and its arms extended into a long, single claw, curved, and about a foot in length. The creature still concealed its face in the shadows, but the Doctor immediately got the impression of something with dark eyes and a large, snarling mouth. He tried not to picture the saliva dripping from its teeth.

"What's that?" he asked quietly, keeping a good eye on Rose. He heard Jezera take a small intake of breath. "What?"

Jezera gulped. "That's a... that's a Furiae."

"A what?"

"It's one of the creatures of this wood: Sine Mentis. It's a stalker, a hunter. It... well..."

"It_what_? What does it do?" the Doctor asked desperately, watching it sniff its way out into the clearing, towards Rose. He instinctively went to take a step forward.

"Don't!" Jezera hissed, stopping him. "Don't startle it, or it'll attack straight away." She looked at him mournfully. "Furiaes are preying creatures. They inject their victims with serum that knocks them out, sends them to their own little world – then... they take them back to their lairs, and devour them."

The Doctor glared down at her. "So they _devour_ their prey, and you're just going to let her _lie_ there?"

"We can't startle it – "

"Watch me."

He strode into the glade, his face contorted and his mouth open in a large, defeaning cry. He hoped that, by startling it, the creature would flee in fright. At his feet Rose looked up, her face pale and child-like, almost as though she had lost ten years. A shrill screech came up from the creature as it reared up high on its haunches, towering high above the Doctor, its large jaw snapping in the air. Rose turned and stared up at it, her eyes wide and terrified. She let out another scream, which drew the Furiae's attention back to her. In a quick movement it bore down upon her, trying to scoop her up in its arms. The Doctor made a grab for her and, out of nowhere, came a flash of silver.

Jezera's blade stuck deeply into the creature, before it was wrenched out to be stabbed again, and again. The sound of the blade penetrating thick skin was muffled by the cries from the creature. Rose struggled out of the Doctor's grip while Jezera wrestled with the beast.

"Rose," the Doctor cried to her, desperation leaking through his voice. "Rose, please."

"You're not... You're not..." She was sobbing.

The next few moments happened achingly slowly. With a violent shake, the Furiae tossed Jezera and her blade away from it. It made a violent swipe at Rose.

"No!" Despite the Doctor trying to keep her away, it plunged a long spike deep into her stomach. "ROSE!"

There was stillness in the wood for half a second as all four considered each other. Then, with a shriek, the Furiae disappeared into the trees and Rose stumbled to her knees, caught by the Doctor's arms. Jezera, wiping sweat from her brow and blood on her cloak, came to the Doctor's side. Rose was shaking erratically and her eyes had rolled up into her head. Her skin was like chalk and she making strange 'kuh' sounds from the back of her throat.

"It's the serum," Jezera said, panic in her voice. "Lay her on her back."

"It's not just the serum," the Doctor replied gravely, but he did as she said. Jezera laid a cool hand on Rose's forehead, and this somehow seemed to calm her. The convulsive jerks turned into small twitches within seconds. Jezera sat up on her knees and stared at the Doctor.

"What did you mean by 'it's not just the serum'?"

He sat back on his ankles, sighed, and ran his hands down his face, burying his fingertips in his eyes. "I can't touch her," he said eventually, dragging them away from his face. "I'm a higher being than her. Time Lord. I've got more psychic energy in my little finger than she has in her whole body. By touching her I mess up the balance of nerves and hormones floating around her body. It's like taking apart a jigsaw puzzle and putting it back together all wrong, with even some pieces from another puzzle."

There was a pause. "A... jigsaw?"

"Never mind," the Doctor answered, shaking his head and looking down at the shell of Rose near his knees. "It's an Earth... thing. Don't ask."

"Doctor, you can't have harmed her that much." Jezera, too, looked down to the pale girl. "These symptoms are not uncommon for one who's suffering the effects of Furiae symptoms."

"...We should never have come here."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the Doctor looking sorrowfully down at Rose, Jezera watching him with sympathy. Eventually, he slowly reached out and cupped Rose's face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, barely audible. He leant over the body and bent his head. "I'm so sorry." Then, he looked up, his eyes shining with grief. "Is there anything we can do?"

Jezera waited, watching him. Then, slowly, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. We can only hope she wakes up. But... the chances are slim. To recover from Furiae serum, she'd have to be very lucky indeed."

The Doctor's shoulders dropped. He couldn't take her back to the TARDIS, not like this. She had to be conscious and willing before he could strike up the psychic link with his ship and take them both back. So, until Rose got better, he was stranded here; they both were.

Silence descended once more, until Jezera took a hesitant breath.

"Doctor?"

He remained quiet.

"There is... maybe one thing..."

"What is it?" he asked, his voice flat and weathered.

"She could help us... connect to Rose. There is no cure, as such, but if we can reach her... we can pull her out of her world." When he didn't say anything, she continued fearfully. "But it's dangerous. I'm not sure we can trust her. It could end up doing more damage to Rose. If we meddle with the serum we risk losing her forever."

"Who is she?"

"She is... was... a friend. I haven't seen her for years."

"Who is she?" the Doctor repeated wearily, still casting his eyes over the sleeping Rose.

"Her name is Mägdraz."

There was a long pause.

"We'll do it," he said at last. "We'll see her." And the last stages of sunlight left the forest.

* * *

Preview...

_**Chapter VII – In Dreams**_

_He laughed, bitterly, and shook his head. "No, Rose, that's not what I mean. What's the last thing you remember... from here."_


	8. In Dreams

**Chapter VII – In Dreams**

"Oh, my God, Rose! You're awake!"

Rose blinked, confusion seeping through her mind like oil. She knew it was impossible. But that didn't change the fact that her mother was sitting by the end of the bed, excitement and disbelief spreading over her face.

Jackie stood up and came to her daughter's side. There were tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe it," she said, taking her daughter in a large embrace. "All this waiting, and hoping, and praying... and now here you are." She pulled back and sniffed hard, looking Rose in the eye. Rose stared back, bemused. "You are back, aren't you? Not just having another episode?"

"A... what?"

Jackie dropped her hands and stepped back. "I'll have to get the doctor."

"The Doctor?" Rose asked, hopefully, her heart giving a lurch. If the Doctor were here then maybe he could explain what was going on, give her back some of her memory. She tried to think. The last thing she remembered was... running... pain... Oh, she wished her mind were not so fuzzy.

Jackie was incessantly pressing the emergency 'help' button. "He'll never believe this," she was muttering to herself. "After all the scans and whatchamacallits, all that stuff that said she wouldn't come back... and here you are."

She turned to face her daughter once again. Rose gave a tight smile, unsure quite what was going on. "Hello."

"'Hello', indeed." Jackie was laughing. "She's been in a coma for two years and she says 'hello'!"

Rose stared. "Did you just say... a coma?" she asked, sitting up and leaning on her arm.

Jackie looked at her, sadness beginning to tentatively appear in her eyes. "Maybe I'd better let the doctor talk to you. Check you're doing okay. Oh, but Rose... it's been so long." She brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle an emotional cry, and she turned away from her daughter.

Rose made to get out of the bed. "Mum..."

"No. You stay there. Just... stay there. He should be here in a minute."

"Who should?"

At that moment the door was opened, and a tall man in a white coat strolled in, staring at his clipboard. Light from the corridor fell across the floor, and he immediately crossed to the table beside Rose's bed and flicked on the light. He then turned away from Rose and addressed her mother, too quickly for her to see him properly.

"Mrs Tyler," he said politely, a Scottish lilt taking his voice. "Would you leave us alone for a minute?"

"But, doctor, she's – "

"I know," he replied calmly, putting a hand out. "I guessed from the urgency of your buzzers. But I'm going to need to talk to her. It's likely Rose will be very dazed, and not quite sure what's going on. She may not even recognise you."

"But – "

"I'll bring you in as soon as we're ready." He had a hand in the small of her back, escorting her to the door. "Ring your husband, if I were you. And anyone you think should know. She can't be bombarded with visitors, but – " There was a smile in his voice " – I dare say she could see one or two."

With that he ushered Jackie out of the room and closed the door. He then stood for a moment, facing away from Rose. She felt nervousness and fear rise in her body. What on was going on?

"Hello, Rose," he said, without looking at her. "I see you've made quite a recovery."

He turned; Rose's heart skidded to a stop, then began working double-time to catch up. She felt a sweat break out on her forehead, cool and comforting.

"Doctor," she breathed, relief overwhelming her. Tears began to choke the back of her throat and she coughed them away. "What's going on?"

He looked just like he always did. Tawny hair, slightly ruffled from lack of sleep; soft, brown eyes; slight creases in his forehead; lean posture, and delicate hands. The only thing that did look strange was the white lab coat, with two biros sticking up from the pocket at the chest. But at least he was here, with her... wherever 'here' was.

"Do you remember anything about the past few weeks?" he asked, his voice quiet. He stepped slowly towards the bed before hesitantly sitting down just by her feet.

Rose propped herself up, suddenly aware of the heart monitor standing beside her bed. It had seemed so natural, the low 'beep' that echoed around the room, but now she had noticed it it seemed loud and obnoxious. She winced.

The Doctor sat patiently waiting at the end of her bed, looking at her gently.

"I don't... know," she said, at last. This was the truth.

"Well," he consulted his clipboard, "what's the last thing you remember?"

"Walking up that hill. In... Elusion, yeah. I was looking at this weird statue, and then... I dunno. It all went a bit... strange."

He laughed, bitterly, and shook his head. "No, Rose, that's not what I mean. What's the last thing you remember... from _here_." He pressed down on the bed gently with his hand.

Rose blinked at him. "I... Nothing. One minute I'm on Elusion, the next I'm waking up here with Mum going all freaky. Doctor," she leaned forward conspiratorially, fear beginning to flit in her voice, "why's my mum here? Are we at home, or what?" She sat up again, and her eyes widened. "Oh, my god – I don't have amnesia, do I? Why am I in hospital? Where's the TARDIS? And why are you Scottish?" She felt agitation rise: something in his expression wasn't right. It worried her.

"Rose, calm down," the Doctor said firmly, but she continued to talk, thoughts and ideas spilling from her mouth before she could really think of them.

"Is this a cover up? Is that what this is? Is there something... I dunno, alien going on? And we're under cover, yeah? Only..." She frowned to herself, thinking. "Only... something went wrong, yeah. Something muddled my memory. That's it, isn't it?"

"Maybe you should relax." He got to his feet and approached her bedside table. "Have some water?"

Rose watched him warily. Why wasn't he talking to her? What wasn't he telling her? She watched as he poured out two glasses of the clear water, then offered one to her. She took it, looking up into his eyes. There was something defeated lurking in them, like a monster hiding under a bed.

"You really don't remember, do you," he sighed. Rose shook her head, and he sat down in a chair by the wall. He leaned forward, resting his elbows just behind his knees, and stared at her, his face hard. Rose, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, wriggled slightly and looked down to the thin bedsheets. "Do you remember why you're here?"

"I told you, no. Last thing I remember was Elusion."

"Elusion, Elusion – you've mentioned it before, in your slightly more lucid moments. I'm guessing it's somewhere your mind made up for you, but – "

"What?" She looked at him, and frowned. "What d'you mean 'my mind'? You were _there_, Doctor. I mean, I know you said the place was strange, but... it was real all right. You must remember! Unless..." Unless he had lost his memory, too. The idea worried Rose, and she settled back into silence. Panic gnawed at her heart. What if something had scrambled her brain, and the Doctor's, so they couldn't remember the same things?

"Rose," he began calmly, and there was something weary in his voice, like he had done this hundreds of times before. "Rose, look at me." She did, and saw only melancholy. "Do you remember anything... before the accident? Anything at all?"

"...Accident?"

He became frustrated, and got to his feet. "Accident, Rose, yes!" He threw a hand carelessly into the air. "The reason why you're here in the first place. You've spoken about it before; mumbled about it. But you can't remember now?"

She tried to draw herself further into the covers, into the warmth they offered. "I don't remember anything about an accident," she said quietly.

The Doctor, after looking at her for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then sat down again, and nodded, slipping his chin in the crux of his fingers and thumbs..

"Okay. Well. You were in an accident, Rose. A car accident. About two years ago. You and your fiancée – "

"Fiancée?" she asked with shock, images of Mickey instantly springing, unbidden, into her mind.

"You and your fiancée were in the car, on the motorway. Some idiot was driving up it the wrong way – collided head on with you. He died. You and your fiancée were badly wounded – lost a lot of blood, between you. You – and he – have been here ever since. There was extensive brain damage to both of you. About a year ago, you started responding to our tests. There was minimal brain activity, but at least it was something. We've been heavily monitoring you, keeping you on life support and noting down your responses to different sorts of tests. We hoped that you would... recover. But, really, Rose. This is a miracle." He smiled at her warmly, and it was golden. "It truly is. A few weeks ago, you woke up. Only for a couple of minutes, but you were there, conscious. You called for me, but by the time I got there, you'd slipped away again. But then... I knew it was only a matter of time. We all just had to have faith, in you and your – "

"I've heard enough," Rose interrupted, anger flashing through her body like electricity. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but something's... _messing_ with us, Doctor. It's making us think and remember different things."

"Rose, please, just listen – "

"No, _you_ listen," she snapped, tugging at the wires attached to her body. "I don't need this; I don't need any of this. If I can get out of here, I can figure out what's going on and what's, I dunno, hypnotised you. Wouldn't be surprised if I was still on Elusion. You told me that place messed up your mind; for all I know, you're not even the Doctor."

"Rose!" His voice was loud, violent, and quietened her into fear once again. He'd risen to his feet and his torso was shaking with heavy breaths. Eventually he calmed, and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just..." When he looked up again, his eyes were brimming with tears. Rose felt something unpleasant tighten in her stomach at seeing him so distraught. "It's been two years, Rose. Two years, I've waited... and, now..."

He came towards the bed and, slowly, knelt at her side. He reached for her hand and clasped it between his. It seemed so small, clamped between his large palms. He looked up, and when he blinked, tears splashed down onto his cheeks. Instinctively, Rose reached out and wiped them away. Closing his eyes, he leant into her palm as though it were a touch he had been craving for decades.

Then, surprisingly, he kissed her palm. Gently, just once, but Rose felt her heart jump. She withdrew her hand and looked at him questioningly. He let out a heavy breath, and his shoulders sagged.

"I'm sorry," he said again, laughing with grief. He released her hand from his. "I shouldn't have... I've just... It's been lonely, without you, in here." He tapped his head. "I've missed you."

"Doctor..."

He frowned. "Do you have to call me that?" he asked, his tone slightly clipped. He made to stand up. "It sounds so... clinical. I'm more to you than that. Aren't I?" She blinked at him, and something she recognised as realisation spread over his face. "Or is that all I am to you? Just another doctor?"

"I..." She fumbled for words she didn't have. What could she say? She had never known him by any other name.

He closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose. "John," he told her, bowing his head as though in sin. "My name is John Smith. And you really don't remember... anything, do you?"

Rose's mind instantly kicked into action. John Smith. Surely that must mean that whatever had fiddled with his brain hadn't done a good job? John Smith was his alias, the name she would recognise anywhere. Which meant that he was still him, on the inside. Just a bit... different.

"I've been your friend for years," he recollected sadly. "They thought I shouldn't be put on your case because we know each other personally. But I begged for it; I thought that, maybe if you had someone you knew working on you and helping you, it would make you recover quickly. And now... you are. But you don't remember." He brought his head up and looked at her with honesty. "You don't remember any of it."

"I wish I could," Rose whispered, feeling her own tears in her throat once again. Then, she shook her head, and with it, those thoughts away. "No," she countered. "Something weird is going on. I remember _you_, Doctor. I remember everything we've been through. All the adventures we've had – "

He laughed, bitterly, and cut her off. "I'm talking about the real world, Rose. The world you can see, and smell, and touch."

"So am I!" she retorted. "Look, if I really am a coma patient, how comes I'm okay now, hmm? How come I'm... I dunno, coherent, or whatever?"

"But you're not! You're off rambling about some place to do with illusions and time travel!"

Rose frowned. "I never said anything about time travel."

"Not this time, no," the Doctor agreed, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "But you've been awake about a dozen times over the past few weeks. You've spoken about things, briefly. Mumbled words. Elusion. TARDIS. And 'doctor', always 'doctor'. You cry that word like a mantra, sometimes." His face fell. "I always thought it was you reaching out to this world, calling for me. But it wasn't. Was it?"

For a reason she couldn't explain, Rose felt guilty. She looked down to the covers again, and fiddled with them. "It was... Well, yeah, it was you. Course I was calling for you. Who else would I call for?"

Suddenly, he was close to her, his gaze intense as he studied her. "What's going on in that head, hmm?"

"Doctor." She levelled with him. He raised his eyebrows. "Something weird is going on. If we can just get out of here and back to the TARDIS, we – "

"And just what on Earth _is_ a TARDIS, anyway?" he asked, straightening once again. He was no less manic now, Rose was happy to note. "You keep bringing it up."

"Not 'it'. _She_," Rose corrected before she could stop herself.

The Doctor blinked down at her. "Okay... 'She', then. Who is she?"

"I'm getting out of here."

If the Doctor couldn't help her – which he certainly did not seem to be able to do in his state – she would just have to do it on her own. She must still have the TARDIS key, somewhere. And if they were still on Elusion, then she'd have to figure out some way to communicate with the ship, maybe bring them both back on board.

Rose flung the covers to one side, which took surprising effort, and slid her legs over the bed to the floor.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked, shocked. "Rose, that's really not – "

She was about to protest, but as soon as her feet touched the floor and she put any weight on them to stand, she almost tumbled to the floor. Had the Doctor not rushed forward to catch her, it wouldn't have been long before she'd been lying on the cold, grey tiles.

Gently, he helped her back into bed and slipped the covers back across her.

"You'll have to take it easy," he said seriously, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She watched him intently.

"Why can't I walk, Doctor?"

When he met her gaze, there was sympathy in his eyes. "I told you." He brushed some loose hair from her face as he perched on the side of the bed. "You've been in a coma for two years. These," he patted her legs tenderly, "aren't used to being used. They'll be fine if you practice at it, they're just a bit weak."

Unbidden, she felt the tears rise. This was like a nightmare that wouldn't go away. "Doctor," she pleaded, grabbing his wrist tightly. "I'm not in a coma. I've never been in a coma. You and me, we're gonna escape from here. Something's... _messing_ with us."

"No, Rose." He shook his head. "I dare say you've been living in your own world for a long, long time. It probably feels real to you even as you lie here talking to me. But," he took her hand and gazed into her eyes, "this is real. Right here, right now."

She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the wall. Tears burned behind her lids, but she swore to herself she wouldn't let them fall.

"You're lying," she uttered, almost silently. "This isn't... What happened to _my_ Doctor?" She opened her eyes, but saw only a blurred figure through her tears. His hand tightened on hers. "Where's he gone?"

He didn't seem to have an answer. Eventually he slipped his hand out of hers and stood.

"I'll get your mother," he said quietly, almost regretfully. "After all this time, she'd probably like to see you."

Rose didn't respond. What could she say? So she just lay there, in silence, and listened to footsteps in the corridor outside.

* * *

Preview...

_**Chapter VIII - The Storyteller**_

"_Earlier, you said what Mägdraz 'foresaw'," he commented slowly, watching her. "She could tell the future."_

"_Oh, she could do more than that," Jezera laughed bitterly, and her hand tightened. _


	9. Hunted

**Author's Note**: Okay. The chapter title changed. Seems my brain had other ideas.

* * *

**Chapter VIII – Hunted**

It was dark by the time they got out of the woods. The suns had sunk deeply down below the horizon, and now a lush purple had stolen the colour of the sky. Trees and bushes rustled as the Doctor and Jezera tumbled out, the Doctor carrying Rose in his arms.

"Good god," he puffed, laying her gently down in the grass that was beginning to dew. He nudged the sleepy body with his foot. "I think, once this is all over, I'm going to put you on a diet. No more chips for you, my girl."

Jezera smiled, but it quickly faded. The Doctor looked up to her, his expression falling into one of complete sincerity.

"So, this 'Mägdraz'; where did you say we'd find her?"

"I didn't," Jezera answered pointedly. "She isn't someone you simply 'find', Doctor. She was exiled, a long time ago, for – "

"Yes, I remember, thank you," he said tersely, sliding his hands into his pockets, where his hand found an obvious psychic-paper-shaped hole in time and space. He looked down to Rose. "But if she's the only one who can help,we're going to need to find out where she is."

"The only thing I know," Jezera went on, looking wistfully up into the sky, "is that she's gone into the Exiled Lands, beyond the borders of our city and out into the wilderness. She shares her home with the demons of this world now."

"Oh. Demons. Like we didn't have enough to worry about. You don't half make strange friends."

"She wasn't a friend. She was my guide. Assigned to me by the gods to aid me on my path of seeing."

The Doctor looked at Jezera seriously, his eyebrow rising a notch. "Gods and guides?" he questioned dubiously. "I didn't think yours was a race that was into all that stuff. Ran away at the mention of anything... foreign, that's you lot."

Jezera snorted. "Hardly. We are more accepting than most."

"That's why Mägdraz is exiled, then, is it?"

Jezera looked over to the Doctor, fixing him with a steely glare. "She foresaw the death of a child, the child of the Lord. She told our people and they refused to listen. They called her a blasphemer and accused her of witchcraft. Not far wrong in that respect, but she was trying to help them. And they thanked her by sending her to the wasteland."

The Doctor was frowning, evidently lost in thought. He, too, looked up to the sky, at the ripples that made it pulsate and breathe. "It's so beautiful, this planet," he breathed, suddenly the wonders of it all moving through him like a ghost. "Dangerous as hell, yes, but certainly beautiful. I'm glad Rose got to see it."

Jezera stepped over to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll save her, Doctor," she said quietly, raw honesty in her voice. "She didn't come here today to die."

"No," the Doctor agreed, looking down to the floor. The grass was crumpled where his feet were, and he kicked the ground briefly. "No, she didn't."

He swallowed, trying to keep down the helpless feeling that was starting to rise up in him. He should never have come here.

"Mägdraz," spoke Jezera suddenly, startling him. "If I had something of hers, I would be able to find her."

Turning to face her, interest glinting in his eyes, the Doctor questioned, "Oh? You kept that to yourself."

She nodded, simply, not looking at him. "It's dangerous."

"But you have to," the Doctor pointed out, staring at her now. He could feel tears begin to threaten once again, but he pushed them away. "Rose will... she'll die."

"I know."

A cold wind whipped around them, catching the Doctor's coat and fluttering it out to his sides. Jezera stayed staring at the horizon, at the colours smudged together like someone had spilled water over a painting. Maybe it was the light, or the time, or the knowledge that right now she was the only one who could help – but the Doctor was suddenly hit with the realisation of how strikingly beautiful this woman was. There was something about her that she did not share with the rest of her race.

The Doctor glanced behind him, to Rose, who was lying peacefully on the ground as though she were simply sleeping. He frowned with hurt.

When he looked back to Jezera, she had something clasped in her hand. Dangling down from the closed palm was a long silver chain. The Doctor inclined his head slightly.

"Earlier, you said what Mägdraz 'foresaw'," he commented slowly, watching her. "She could tell the future."

"Oh, she could do more than that," Jezera laughed bitterly, and her hand tightened. "She could look into the minds and hearts of anyone and know their true character. She could understand everyone, everything – even the beasts and the animals in this world. She could put her own consciousness into that of another, manipulate and control them. And she could search across the stars, far and wide, and see... everything. She could pinpoint a single moment in time and space and know everything about it. And, yes, she could see the future. Flashes and pictures of things that are still yet to come. Her gift was to make sense of them, and to warn. But we destroyed her."

"That's quite a gift."

"She's dangerous," Jezera said suddenly, turning to the Doctor with the darkness of the sky reflected in her eyes. "The power drove her crazy, Doctor. Sometimes she helps, sometimes she hinders – it's difficult to know whether or not to trust her."

He looked at her openly, this time not wishing to hide the fear that Rose's life was in danger. "She's all we have."

"Perhaps." Jezera nodded solemnly, then looked down to Rose. A frown creased her smooth skin. "I can't promise that Mägdraz won't just kill her. If I seek her out, she will know I'll be looking for her. She'll be expecting us."

"Well... can't you just teleport?" the Doctor asked, only a small hint of desperation in his voice.

Jezera shook her head. "She's beyond our borders. And, besides, it only works for one. I'll have to sense her from here; then we'll have to walk."

"And just how do you 'sense' her? I thought you needed something of hers."

Jezera held up the chain, at the end of which dangled a shimmering pendant.

"Mägdraz gave this to me the last time I saw her. She told me to use it if I ever needed to find her. Then she said if it wasn't of importance, she would kill me."

The Doctor's eyebrow rose. "You know, the more I know about your race, the more confusing it gets. You're a bit like that lot, really," he said, jerking his head towards Rose. "Bit weirder at times, come to think of it."

Jezera managed a smile, which quickly faded. "I'm going to help you, Doctor. We'll find Mägdraz and get her to help us. This child," she let her gaze fall to Rose, "is my responsibility now. This is my planet. I'll do what I can for you."

Tentatively, the Doctor reached out a hand to Jezera's shoulder. "Thank you," he said earnestly, and just for a moment, their eyes met. Then, after offering a quick smile, he bent down to collect Rose up in his arms again. He huffed slightly as he tried to regain his balance, and Jezera turned away from him and held the pendant open in her hand.

He had no idea what she was doing, but he caught a small glance of her lips, moving fast, and her eyes flickering behind their lids. Then, suddenly, her eyes were open, and she snatched the pendant away into her pocket.

"She knows we're coming," Jezera said quietly, and there was regret in her voice. "She'll decide, once we get there, what fate will do with us."

"Oh, good," the Doctor said, the brightness in his voice sincere.

"Good?" Jezera questioned in amused confusion. "What's good about that, Doctor?"

"It makes things quite simple," he replied, scanning the horizon. Up ahead, dark black shadows were beginning to swarm like a flock of large birds. "Very simple, actually. Because if she stands in the way of getting Rose back, then she's going to have to answer to me."

"And who, exactly, are you, Doctor?"

"Me?" he repeated, turning to look at Jezera with a bright darkness in his eyes. "I'm where it all ends."

-oOo-

They had been walking for hours. Darkness had completely swallowed the grounds and they had long since left the protection of the city. The Doctor's arms were going numb from carrying Rose, but he simply bit down any complaints he may have had and kept walking.

He and Jezera had spoken of idle things, of her past and his future, of what they would both do next. She had even asked him about Rose.

"This child must mean a lot to you," she'd said, looking over at Rose with regret in her voice.

The Doctor had nodded, keeping his eyes forward. "She does," he'd said simply, and Jezera had taken that as the end of the conversation.

Now, silence had been lingering between them for nearly half an hour, and the soles of the Doctor's feet were beginning to hurt.

Suddenly, Jezera stopped dead, her body stiffening.

"What?" the Doctor asked immediately, looking at her intensely. "What is it?"

She looked around herself and suddenly, from the dark, the Doctor heard a strange wind blow. It was unlike any wind he had before. It was haunting, lingering, like a ghost trying to cling onto life. He edged closer to Jezera and shifted Rose in his arms.

"We're being watched," Jezera whispered softly as he got closer, and her body was still rigid.

"Who – "

"Shh!" she commanded harshly, and her eyes flicked ahead of them. "Stay still. Absolutely still."

The Doctor swallowed, but did as he was told. He could feel his hearts thumping loudly in his chest and ears. He hadn't realised, the first time he'd come here, just how dangerous and intriguing this planet was. He'd known there had been dangers, yes, but technical ones, to do with vortex manipulation, time-space density and the universe imploding if you got the flight a bit wrong... But this, being faced with an actual solid fear, was not something he'd been prepared for.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to quiver as the air around them suddenly dropped by five or six degrees. Deathly silence hung around the two of them like a cloud, and shrouds of darkness began to drift closer to them, to Rose. This wasn't just night they were surrounded by; the shadows were more than that.

Then out of the silence, and growing closer, the Doctor suddenly heard the soft sighs of breathing. He couldn't help the distinct impression that he was being hunted.

_Doctor_.

He almost jumped at the intrusion on his mind, but he stayed with his fixed ahead of him, at the growing darkness, and he held his ground. Was this what the shadows did? Did they play games with the innocent, with those that didn't know what was going on.

_Doctor_.

He couldn't be certain, but he was fairly sure shadows didn't use his name. He glanced to his left, but Jezera seemed completely focused on the shadows closing in on them. Swallowing again, he closed his eyes and focused his mind.

_Hello, Mägdraz._

He sensed amusement in his mind. _She was right. You are a quick study._

_I need your –_

_Help, yes, I know. Oh, don't I know that, indeed. The shadows are mine, Doctor. Sent to watch and hunt and kill. There are many like them out in the wilderness. You won't make it here alive. Not tonight._

The Doctor opened his eyes and immediately felt like he was being suffocated. From everywhere there was darkness, shadow upon shadow until he could see anything else. He couldn't even make out Jezera by his side.

_You lied to us_, he began bitterly in his mind, but he was cut off by an airy laugh.

_Perhaps. It is a riddle, isn't it?_

Rose's hair began to flutter in still wind and the Doctor's skin began to tingle.

_Are you going to kill us_? he asked with complete sincerity.

_It's a riddle, Doctor. Figure it out. And don't tell the girl._

Already he could feel the presence sipping out of his mind, and before he could protest, she had gone. He never enjoyed the feeling of another mind slipping out of his; it always made him feel slightly hollow.

A sudden flash of movement caught his eye. He turned, intuitively aware that it was safe to move, and saw Jezera standing with her arm outstretched and fire in her eyes. In her hand was Mägdraz's pendant, and electric bolts of bright blue were fizzing and sparking out of it, attacking the shadows like sun rays on the sea. Her face was contorted into pure rage, and as she lunged forward, the shadows seemed to disband. There was a chilling groan, and suddenly the darkness dissolved, leaving the wilderness once more, painted in dark colours of the night.

The lights from the pendant faded away, and Jezera turned to the Doctor as she pocketed it.

He stared at her, hearts racing, not quite sure what to say.

"You have to let them get close," she explained quietly, walking towards him. "You have to make them think they've won. If you attack too soon they swarm and you're dead within three seconds. I'm sorry, I couldn't explain, I had to – "

"It's all right," he forgave quietly, glancing longingly to Rose. "Without you, I'd be long dead by now. And so would Rose. Thank you."

Jezera smiled and reached out a hand, smoothing some of Rose's hair from her face. "She is beautiful," she remarked with wonder. Then she looked up to the Doctor, interest in her dark eyes. "Where did you find her?"

"Oh, you know." He shrugged. "Basement level of a department store. That's where all the good ones are, these days."

She gave him a frown that was both amused and confused. "You never cease to amaze me, Doctor."

Taking that as a compliment, he smiled at her. He then looked over her shoulder to the horizon, to the hills and hills of landscape they had yet to cover.

"How far away is Mägdraz?" he asked, attempting to keep the tone light but unable to hide the weight in his question.

Jezera sighed. "I don't know. It's like following a scent. She cloaks herself beneath a veil, to protect herself from the demons. By sensing her I can find out whether her presence is strong or weak. I'll know when I've found her."

The Doctor nodded understanding. "You'll only find her when she wants to be found," he simplified.

"Yes." She avoided his gaze. "I'm sorry. I did tell you it would be dangerous. There are many worse creatures out here than shadows, Doctor. They have free reign. There's no protection. All we can do is keep walking."

Mägdraz's words suddenly returned to the Doctor, like a dream remembered halfway through the day. _You won't make it here alive. Not tonight._

"No," he said simply as Jezera started to pace past him.

She turned with a frown. "I'm sorry?"

"We have to settle down for the night. We've been walking for hours, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure how much more my arms can take of this." He lifted Rose slightly, and attempted a smile.

"Doctor. Staying in the wilderness would be foolish." She stared at him suspiciously. The Doctor dropped his gaze.

"Nevertheless," he continued quietly. "We're staying. We can try moving again at dawn."

"There's every chance we won't – "

"I'm. Staying." He looked up and met her gaze, defiance and sincerity in his eyes. "Do what you like. The only way I keep walking is to find shelter."

Jezera sighed and shook her head. She then turned away, pointing up the hill. "There's a small cave up ahead," she said, her back to the Doctor. "We can stay there until morning."

The Doctor didn't hesitate. He strolled past her, flashing a small grin as he did so.

"There's every likelihood we won't survive," she called from behind him.

"There's every likelihood that we will," he retorted, stalking over the rough terrain.

They got the cave a few minutes later. In the Doctor's opinion, it was less of a cave and more of a ramshackle pile of flat stones; it definitely looked as though someone had put it together.

He turned to Jezera with a knowing look. "How did you know this was here?"

She shrugged, walking over to it. "You get to know these landscapes when you study them."

"Yes. I bet."

He followed her, ducking down beneath the roof and, finally, depositing Rose gently on the ground. Letting his eyes wash over her cold, still body, he shrugged off his jacket and lay it down on top of her. He could feel Jezera's gaze burning into his back from the doorway, but he stayed an extra moment to look at Rose. Crouching, he placed a gentle hand on her forehead, trying to pretend that the coolness of her skin didn't make him want to retch, just a tiny bit.

"You love her," spoke Jezera from the doorway. He didn't answer her. "Doctor,– "

"Get some sleep," he said softly, still not looking at her. "We'll have to get moving again soon."

He heard the scuffle of feet on ground as she sat with her back to one of the walls, laying her head backwards against the stone. Soon, her calm breathing filled the air, and only then did the Doctor leave Rose's side to keep watch at the doorway to their shelter.

There were no more disturbances that night.


End file.
